A famous grizzly bear that resides in Yellowstone National Park in the US has emerged from winter victorious. The grizzly, named 399, has given birth to 4 cubs at the age of 24.
She is one of the oldest surviving grizzly bears outside of a captive environment, according to The Guardian. The bear appeared in mid-May with four cubs in tow, in Grand Tenton National Park which neighbours Yellowstone National Park.
The bear was born in 1996 and has a lineage of 22 bears, including cubs and cubs of cubs (grandchildren). Her recent litter is a glimmer of hope for the grizzly population of Yellowstone, which spans over 8 991 km squared.
According to a statement on the National Parks Service website, grizzly bears were nearly driven to extinction in the 1970s.
‘Yellowstone is home to two species of bears: grizzly bears and black bears. Of the two species, grizzly bears have a much smaller range across the United States. The grizzly bear is typically larger than the black bear and has a large muscle mass above its shoulders; a concave, rather than straight or convex, facial profile; and much more aggressive behaviour.
‘The grizzly bear is a subspecies of brown bear that once roamed large swaths of the mountains and prairies of the American West. Today, the grizzly bear remains in a few isolated locations in the lower 48 states, including Yellowstone. In coastal Alaska and Eurasia, the grizzly bear is known as the brown bear.
‘The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and northwest Montana are the only areas south of Canada that still have large grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) populations. Grizzly bears were federally listed in the lower 48 states as a threatened species in 1975 due to unsustainable levels of human-caused mortality, habitat loss, and significant habitat alteration.
‘Grizzly bears may range over hundreds of square miles, and the potential for conflicts with human activities, especially when human food is present, makes the presence of a viable grizzly population a continuing challenge for its human neighbours in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem,’ said the statement.
How do grizzly bears get so large? By eating. A lot. They spend most of their time feeding. Grizzly bears around here are known to consume at least 266 species of plant (67%), invertebrate (15%), mammal (11%), fish, and fungi. That’s quite a variety!https://t.co/gSdtSAJCw3 pic.twitter.com/LL3q5Zqvtx
— yellowstonenps (@YellowstoneNPS) April 29, 2020
Image credit: Instagram/ roamwithalex
