I think David Darlington captured the weirdness perfectly in his book In Condor Country:
"For those of us raised away from the wilderness - in places populated solely by domesticated animals, with untamed ones glimpsed only in books or on television - there's something miraculous about seeing them in the wild. The first time I saw a bear in the woods, I couldn't believe there was something so big that nobody owned, fed, or kept on a leash."
And, while cam traps aren't a substitute for direct observation, I get a similar feeling of awe and wonder when I catch behavioral series that show "big, powerful, dangerous predators" acting like your cute tabby cat, pet pooch, or husband. :)
At the same set that saw the hilarious rolling lion, a fluffy brown black bear showed us some personality too, by demonstrating how bears do their scent marking...
And the full series of 42 furry photos in a video format:
Not only does that look like it feels good, but it also tells the next bear that comes along a lot about brownie here - such as sex, health, reproductive status, and how big he/she is.
I may have to go back and give that tree a try. And if I do, I'll definitely take a measurement - looks to me like that bear's nose reached up over 7 feet. What do y'all think?
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References:
- David Darlington - In Condor Country
- Wikipedia - American Black Bear
- Massachusetts Dept. Fish & Game - Black Bear Biology FAQs
- Bear Nova Scotia - Bear Behavior and Communication
- Nature of a Man (this blog) - posts on cam trapping the Mono Basin
Another good series of pics, RT!
ReplyDeleteSuperb sequence, RT. Keep em coming.
ReplyDeleteKen
ReplyDeleteA great series but if you go back you'd better be prepared for whatever comes your way!
D