Brown Bear: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Bears · day 2 of 7

Five facts

1. Contrary to popular belief, a brown bear gets 90% of its diet from plants.
2. In summer, some Yellowstone bears gobble up to 40,000 army cutworm moths in one day.
3. At waterfalls, bears try to catch leaping salmon in mid-air, often with their mouths.
4. If a mother bear is too thin before winter, her embryo never implants and is absorbed back into her body. Cubs are born while she sleeps.
5. Brown bears have a big muscle hump, found in no other bear, and paws up to 21 cm wide and 36 cm long for digging.

The quiz

1. How much of a brown bear's diet comes from plants?

• 10%
• 30%
• 50%
• 90% (correct)

A brown bear gets 90% of its diet from plants.

2. How many moths can Yellowstone bears eat in one day?

• As many as 40,000 (correct)
• About 40
• About 400
• About 4 million

Some Yellowstone bears eat up to 40,000 army cutworm moths in a day.

3. How do bears try to catch salmon at waterfalls?

• With nets of branches
• By digging pits
• In mid-air, often with their mouths (correct)
• By stunning them with rocks

They try to catch leaping salmon in mid-air, often with their mouths.

4. What happens if a mother bear has not gained enough weight?

• She skips hibernation
• The embryo does not implant (correct)
• She has twice as many cubs
• The cubs are born early

Its embryo does not implant and her body absorbs it.

5. How wide can a brown bear's paws be?

• Up to 2 cm
• Up to 8 cm
• Up to 21 cm (correct)
• Up to 90 cm

Its paws are up to 21 cm wide and 36 cm long.

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