Kodiak Bear

The Kodiak Bear or Ursus arctos middendorffi is the unique subspecies of the Brown Bear. The Kodiak Bear is the closest relative of the Grizzly, separated from it about 12,000 years ago. Nowadays, the population of bears on the islands in the Kodiak Archipelago includes about 3,500 animals. They thrive on fish and don’t suffer from habitat loss, like Grizzly Bears inhabiting the northern part of North America. The Kodiak Bear is probably the only bear population that is healthy and growing.

The Kodiak Bear differs from the Grizzly by its size. It’s the largest bear in the world standing 5 feet at the withers and 10 feet tall when on its hind legs. The average weight of Kodiak Bears is 1,500 pounds. Females are considerably smaller and lighter than males. The Kodiak Bear is often referred to as the largest land carnivore, but it’s not actually correct, as these animals are omnivores. They take advantage of any food they can find from grass and berries to meat and carrion. On Kodiak islands, there is a rich variety of foods available throughout the warmer part of the year and Kodiak Bears have the smallest home ranges of any other Brown Bear subspecies. The preferred food of the Kodiak Bear is salmon, which is very nutritious. Bears of the Kodiak islands often fish in large groups. Their social structure and language is more complex than in other bear species.

Winters in the Kodiak Archipelago are long and very cold. Bears have to gain much weight to survive without food for 7-8 months. Females give birth in a winter den and nurse their cubs for 3-4 months. Pregnant females enter their dens in October; females with cubs start hibernation a little later; males are the last to enter their dens. Some males stay awake all winter, if a food source like open water is available.

Encounters with Kodiak Bears can be fatal for humans. Although, bears are not territorial, they may consider humans as a threat to their food source. Females with cubs are very aggressive to any intruder. Normally, the Kodiak Bear is diurnal, but when faced with a threat, it may attack during the night.