Post by grrraaahhh on Mar 25, 2010 22:10:20 GMT -9
Translated from Russian to English:
Author: NA Baikov
Source: The Journal "Hunting and Fishing" of № 5 - 6 2008.
KAMCHATKA BEAR
The first description of this bear gave [Midden]-[dorf]. In 1869 [N].[M]. [Przhevalskiy] mentions about it before its “journey beside the Ussuri edge”, moreover he indicates that this form definitely is encountered before the littoral, together with other two forms of bears. Before the book of [Satunina] and Turkin “The Beasts of Russia” this form is isolated before the special form on the basis of the typical special features of the device of skull and teeth, and also significant magnitude. Naturalist G. Sowerby before his book “Naturalist in of Manchuria” before the number of mammals of Manchuria indicates, besides brown and black Himalayan bear, one additional form, which he calls “Manchurian Grizzly” and gives to it the scientific name of melanarctos of cavifrons. How the rights of G.Sowerby, identifying Kamchatka bear with American Grizzly, let us grant to judge to specialist- taxonomists, but there is no doubt that the gigantic bear, met in Manchuria and before the Russian Far East, it belongs if not to the form of Kamchatka, then in any case down the form to it to the close one, which is considerably deviated from standard form.
On the basis my personal observations and from the questions of hunters -trapper and local trappers it was explained that the region of the propagation of the large bear, which we will call Kamchatka, embraces by itself entire coast of Bering strait, Kamchatka, coast of Sea of Okhotsk, Sakhalin, Shantarskiye Islands, eastern part of Amur region, Ussuri edge and northeastern Manchuria. Here it is encountered before the small [Khingana] mountains and in the mountain taiga region of [Girinskoy] province, to the south to the ridge the Vat- bey -[Shan], who composes the southern boundary of the propagation of this form. It is held exclusively before the alpine coniferous forests, not touched another illegal cutting. Generally, it falls sufficiently rarely and it departs from those places, where man settled.
The dimensions of this bear exceed the dimensions of usual brown. Its length frequently reaches 250 cm, with the height before the arms 140 cm. the weight of the old male before the bedding before the den frequently reaches 400 kgf, but there are the cases of the acquisition of bears before 425 kg. Fat in this colossus sometimes can weigh up to 150 kg.
The bones of skull are extremely massive and dense. Ledge from the forehead to the snout is comparatively less; snout toupee is thicker, why head seems more shortly. Ears are comparatively small and rounded. Fur is longer and thicker. The color of fur against the basis is dark-brown, frequently with the greyish hair on the sides and the back. White necktie width before 4 cm almost remains to the old age in the form of obscure bright strip beyond the upper part of the breast and on the neck. Claws are dark gray. The soles of feet are naked; heel is wide and the corn of front palm flat.
Dental system is developed more than in brown, and teeth are larger. Rapacious tooth is more. Outer two cutters, nearest to the canine teeth, are very large, have large blade halos, they are sharp and have to 2 ½ cm of length. Canine teeth are strongly developed and have from behind clear edges; the length of upper - 5 cm and lower - 4 cm.
The addition of this bear is extremely heavy and is massive. Fur of thick, long and shaggy.
Only typical special features of form are here indicated, but meet fairly often individuals with signs of both forms, which occurs, probably, from the crossing of Kamchatka bear with the usual brown.
Biomedical data of the described form almost the same as in previous, with exception of some special features. This bear conducts the extremely secluded way of life and is held in the deafest and most virgin places of taiga. With the appearance of people it departs down the depth of scaffolding, remaining there before all seasons. Beyond the wintering frequently it lies down beside the pit, where it will bring in by snow. It lies against the den of stronger than the previous forms and from there the previously offensives of the first warm days never leaves, although the snow lies even against the depth of forest by thick layer. Time of bedding beside the den - at the end October. It arises from the den sometimes before the middle of March. After arising from the den, it ferments along the snow, feeds by horsetails, fern and dry grass. It never gets in down the trees; only before the early youth this for the amusement and for the finding of food makes. It feeds by the same as remaining bears. In spite of apparent clumsiness and awkwardness, it is rapid and evasive if necessary; going around its possessions before the taiga, it moves slowly, surveying all along the way, frequently stopping above the rotten stumps and the boot trees. It walks very carefully and almost it is noiseless, trying not to begin beyond the fallen trees and the dry twigs. In the absence plant food it more frequent than other forms, attacks the young boar, pigs with the suckling-pigs, [deer] and roes, being on the watch them on the paths and the mountain passes. Sometimes it uses artificial saline lakes of industrialists and watches on them [deer], elk and roes. With the encounter with the man it runs away as all bears, but it does not manifest in this case fear; sometimes, after meeting before the forest of man, it stops, but it does not rise down the rear feet, as this makes frequently Himalayan; after learning, that before it peaceful trapper or woodcutter, it quietly continues its way. Being it is injured, it more frequent than other bears, rushes on hunter and it beats it along the head by its terrible paws. It does not fear the Tiger and it quietly looks to it after, champing and after grumbling to itself under the nose.
The she-bear of this form brings frequently only one, sometimes two bear cubs. Chute and pregnancy flow just as in brown.
To train this bear is still more difficult than brown, since with the age it becomes malicious, willful and distrustful. Bear cubs of up to 2nd years are so playful and amusing as in other forms.
To what extent is rare here this bear, evidently based on the fact that down 150 killed bears is fallen only one Kamchatka. In retention time here, i.e., since 1901, to the author are known only 6 cases of the slaughter of these bears by Russians, namely: in 1904 near st. of [khandaokhetszy] by hunter by Komarov; the weight of beast 388 kg. in 1908 beast is killed by the author before the upper reaches of [midinakhe]; the weight of beast 380 kg. in 1913 by hunter [Nikolaevym] near st. [Imyanpo]; the weight of beast 375 kg. in 1912 on st. of [shitoukhetszy] by hunter by Zhukovskiy- Volynskiy; the weight of beast 346 kg. in 1913 by hunter [Charaevym] on st. of [Shitoukhetszy]; the weight of beast 348 kg. in 1914 on the journeying of [Sandavodi] by hunter [Malyshevym]; the weight of beast 368 kgf; this bear had white necktie; fur is dark-brown, with the roan attack and the gray hair.
Author: NA Baikov
Source: The Journal "Hunting and Fishing" of № 5 - 6 2008.
KAMCHATKA BEAR
The first description of this bear gave [Midden]-[dorf]. In 1869 [N].[M]. [Przhevalskiy] mentions about it before its “journey beside the Ussuri edge”, moreover he indicates that this form definitely is encountered before the littoral, together with other two forms of bears. Before the book of [Satunina] and Turkin “The Beasts of Russia” this form is isolated before the special form on the basis of the typical special features of the device of skull and teeth, and also significant magnitude. Naturalist G. Sowerby before his book “Naturalist in of Manchuria” before the number of mammals of Manchuria indicates, besides brown and black Himalayan bear, one additional form, which he calls “Manchurian Grizzly” and gives to it the scientific name of melanarctos of cavifrons. How the rights of G.Sowerby, identifying Kamchatka bear with American Grizzly, let us grant to judge to specialist- taxonomists, but there is no doubt that the gigantic bear, met in Manchuria and before the Russian Far East, it belongs if not to the form of Kamchatka, then in any case down the form to it to the close one, which is considerably deviated from standard form.
On the basis my personal observations and from the questions of hunters -trapper and local trappers it was explained that the region of the propagation of the large bear, which we will call Kamchatka, embraces by itself entire coast of Bering strait, Kamchatka, coast of Sea of Okhotsk, Sakhalin, Shantarskiye Islands, eastern part of Amur region, Ussuri edge and northeastern Manchuria. Here it is encountered before the small [Khingana] mountains and in the mountain taiga region of [Girinskoy] province, to the south to the ridge the Vat- bey -[Shan], who composes the southern boundary of the propagation of this form. It is held exclusively before the alpine coniferous forests, not touched another illegal cutting. Generally, it falls sufficiently rarely and it departs from those places, where man settled.
The dimensions of this bear exceed the dimensions of usual brown. Its length frequently reaches 250 cm, with the height before the arms 140 cm. the weight of the old male before the bedding before the den frequently reaches 400 kgf, but there are the cases of the acquisition of bears before 425 kg. Fat in this colossus sometimes can weigh up to 150 kg.
The bones of skull are extremely massive and dense. Ledge from the forehead to the snout is comparatively less; snout toupee is thicker, why head seems more shortly. Ears are comparatively small and rounded. Fur is longer and thicker. The color of fur against the basis is dark-brown, frequently with the greyish hair on the sides and the back. White necktie width before 4 cm almost remains to the old age in the form of obscure bright strip beyond the upper part of the breast and on the neck. Claws are dark gray. The soles of feet are naked; heel is wide and the corn of front palm flat.
Dental system is developed more than in brown, and teeth are larger. Rapacious tooth is more. Outer two cutters, nearest to the canine teeth, are very large, have large blade halos, they are sharp and have to 2 ½ cm of length. Canine teeth are strongly developed and have from behind clear edges; the length of upper - 5 cm and lower - 4 cm.
The addition of this bear is extremely heavy and is massive. Fur of thick, long and shaggy.
Only typical special features of form are here indicated, but meet fairly often individuals with signs of both forms, which occurs, probably, from the crossing of Kamchatka bear with the usual brown.
Biomedical data of the described form almost the same as in previous, with exception of some special features. This bear conducts the extremely secluded way of life and is held in the deafest and most virgin places of taiga. With the appearance of people it departs down the depth of scaffolding, remaining there before all seasons. Beyond the wintering frequently it lies down beside the pit, where it will bring in by snow. It lies against the den of stronger than the previous forms and from there the previously offensives of the first warm days never leaves, although the snow lies even against the depth of forest by thick layer. Time of bedding beside the den - at the end October. It arises from the den sometimes before the middle of March. After arising from the den, it ferments along the snow, feeds by horsetails, fern and dry grass. It never gets in down the trees; only before the early youth this for the amusement and for the finding of food makes. It feeds by the same as remaining bears. In spite of apparent clumsiness and awkwardness, it is rapid and evasive if necessary; going around its possessions before the taiga, it moves slowly, surveying all along the way, frequently stopping above the rotten stumps and the boot trees. It walks very carefully and almost it is noiseless, trying not to begin beyond the fallen trees and the dry twigs. In the absence plant food it more frequent than other forms, attacks the young boar, pigs with the suckling-pigs, [deer] and roes, being on the watch them on the paths and the mountain passes. Sometimes it uses artificial saline lakes of industrialists and watches on them [deer], elk and roes. With the encounter with the man it runs away as all bears, but it does not manifest in this case fear; sometimes, after meeting before the forest of man, it stops, but it does not rise down the rear feet, as this makes frequently Himalayan; after learning, that before it peaceful trapper or woodcutter, it quietly continues its way. Being it is injured, it more frequent than other bears, rushes on hunter and it beats it along the head by its terrible paws. It does not fear the Tiger and it quietly looks to it after, champing and after grumbling to itself under the nose.
The she-bear of this form brings frequently only one, sometimes two bear cubs. Chute and pregnancy flow just as in brown.
To train this bear is still more difficult than brown, since with the age it becomes malicious, willful and distrustful. Bear cubs of up to 2nd years are so playful and amusing as in other forms.
To what extent is rare here this bear, evidently based on the fact that down 150 killed bears is fallen only one Kamchatka. In retention time here, i.e., since 1901, to the author are known only 6 cases of the slaughter of these bears by Russians, namely: in 1904 near st. of [khandaokhetszy] by hunter by Komarov; the weight of beast 388 kg. in 1908 beast is killed by the author before the upper reaches of [midinakhe]; the weight of beast 380 kg. in 1913 by hunter [Nikolaevym] near st. [Imyanpo]; the weight of beast 375 kg. in 1912 on st. of [shitoukhetszy] by hunter by Zhukovskiy- Volynskiy; the weight of beast 346 kg. in 1913 by hunter [Charaevym] on st. of [Shitoukhetszy]; the weight of beast 348 kg. in 1914 on the journeying of [Sandavodi] by hunter [Malyshevym]; the weight of beast 368 kgf; this bear had white necktie; fur is dark-brown, with the roan attack and the gray hair.
Author's note: N.A. Baikov was an early 20th century naturalist. The brown bear sub specie U.a.Piscator does not occupy the Ussuri and northeast Chinese region as speculated one century earlier. The principle brown bear sub specie of the taiga (Ussuri) and Manchuria territories is identified with U.a.lasiotus.