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Kodiak Bear

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Kodiak bear (Ursus arctos middendorffi) images and facts - this gallery showcases stunningly crystal clear stock photos of the largest subspecies of the brown bear, the Kodiak bear. The Kodiak bear lives solely in the Kodiak Archipelago, a group of islands in the South of Alaska. There are approximately 3,000 Kodiak bears in the wild. Although the current population is healthy, it may be more susceptible to new diseases or parasites than more diverse brown bear populations. Kodiak bears are among the largest in the world, growing more than 10 feet long and weighing more than 1,000 lbs., with females being about two-thirds the size of the males. They are similar to grizzly bears in color, ranging from blonde to dark brown. In addition, they also have a mass of muscle on their shoulders, which makes them powerful diggers and hunters.

Conservation status | Least Concern
Scientific classification | Kingdom: Animalia > Phylum: Chordata > Class: Mammalia > Order: Carnivora > Family: Ursidae > Genus: Ursus > Species: U. acrtos > Subspecies: U. a. middendorffi
Trinomial name | Ursus arctos middendorffi
Common names | Kodiak brown bear, Alaskan brown bear

They tend to be solitary but will gather at fishing spots to feast on salmon, building up a store of fat to get them through the winter. In addition to fish, they eat grass, plants and berries. Kodiak bears mate from early May to July, and although their gestation period is only around 70 days, the female suspends gestation until she has put on enough body fat to den for the winter. The females give birth in the den in January or February, with a litter size of 2-3 cubs. The cubs weigh about one pound at birth, and the mother will stay in the den to nurse them until they weigh 20 lbs. The cubs remain with the mother for at least two years, become sexually mature at five years of age, and continue to produce cubs for the rest of their lives. Their average lifespan is around 20 years.

Kodiak Bears are generally shy around people and will avoid them, but like most other bear species, they can become aggressive when surprised or threatened. Bears are attracted to human food, garbage, and hunter-killed game, and almost all serious incidents of Kodiak bear attacks involved hunters returning to a previous kill. About once every other year, a bear injures a person on Kodiak; however, only one person has been killed in the last 75 years.

Kodiak natives traditionally hunted bears for food, clothing, and tools. Bear heads were often left in the field as a sign of respect for the bears. Kodiak bears were commercially hunted throughout the 1800s, and cattle ranchers have shot the bears to protect livestock. The reduction in bear population led to the creation of the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge in 1941. Hunting today is controlled under strict regulations.
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