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Tag Archives: bear

Dancing Bears

So, I’m back in Colorado.  I went to Albuquerque to attend a dance festival, and what am I doing tonight now that I’m back home?  Why, going out dancing, of course!  So, I could not resist this adorable picture of dancing baby bears; enjoy!

The Intelligence of Bears

According to a new study done in Minnesota, published in the scientific journal Animal Behavior, bears just may rival primates in their cognitive abilities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Their research shows that captive bears could perform numerical tasks, including distinguishing the number of dots on an image.  Even though bears have the largest relative brain size of any carnivore (still not as big as primates), surprisingly little research has been done on their cognitive abilities.  Until Now.

Dave Garshelis, bear project leader at the Minnesota Dept. of Resources, said “the bears may have found it relatively easy to respond to the color of the dots because they resemble berries, one of the black bear’s main food sources.  For instance, black bears are able to discern the preferred ripe blackberries, which are black, from unripe blackberries, which are red.”

Overall, the finding may open up possibilities for comparing the cognitive abilities of bears and primates.

“It is exciting to consider,” the study said, “that such divergent species can be tested in the same way to promote a fuller picture” of animal smarts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/08/120829-black-bears-cognition-animals-science/

http://www.birdsasart-blog.com/2010/10/01/howdy-from-yellowstone/

http://www.bear.org/website/live-cameras/slide-shows/black-bear-show.html

http://www.travelimages.com/photoessaycanadianrockies.html

Koalafications

I’ve seen this captioned picture going around the interwebs a bit lately, and every time I see it, I laugh, so I could not help but share and post it today.  Enjoy!

Although Koalas look like bears, they belong to the marsupial family.

New Polar Bear Cub for Germany

At the Wuppertal Zoo, in Wuppertal, Germany, a new polar bear cub was born in January, and named Anori.  She’s now old enough to go out on exhibit with her mother, Vilma, and she looks utterly adorable doing it. ^_^

 

Anori also has the same father as Knut, the other famous polar bear from Germany.

Swims With Polar Bears

 

Mark Dumas, a grizzly man from Abbotsford, Canada, is apparently the first man in the world who can touch and swim with, a polar bear.  This feat, and his relationship with the bear is especially captivating, considering the polar bear is one of the only animals which actively hunt human.

Honestly, part of me feels like this is a recipe for disaster…. but kudos for courage!