iZoofari Chat: Bear Awareness Days, Manchurian Brown Bear
Posted at 11:32 am April 29, 2008 by Dennis Corbran
Senior keeper Hali Anderson talks about Blackie, a Manchurian brown bear who returned to the San Diego Zoo after an 11-year loan. Hosted by Debbie Andreen. (6:55)
Read Hali’s blog about Blackie…
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June 2nd, 2008 at 6:51 am
it is so nice to have blackie back
March 27th, 2009 at 7:35 pm
I need to make a replica of a brown bear’s den. I know that they usually dig under a large rock to make the den, but I can’t find any information on how large the den is inside. Help!
March 31st, 2009 at 5:07 pm
Hi Toni,
The best information on den size that I have come across was from the book, “Track of the Grizzly,” by Frank C. Craighead, Jr. According to the book, the interior measurements of a Yellowstone grizzly bear den averages 5 feet long x 4 1/2 feet wide x 3 feet high and an entryway that measures about 3 feet in diameter, but all these measurements will depend on the size of the bear. Since grizzly bears tend to be the smaller of the brown bear subspecies, other brown bear dens may be larger. All the dens studied, except one, were dug at the bases of trees or stumps between the roots, thus minimizing the opening to the den. The tree bole and root complex act as a protective ceiling and keep the den from collapsing. Hope this helps!