TSB Kermode Bears
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PRESENTATION OUTLINE
In 1928 the Kermode Bear was classified a subspecies (Ursus Americanus Kermodei) of the American Black Bear.
Photo by David Cohen
Kermode Bears live on the Islands Princess Royal and Gribbell along the rainforest coast of British Columbia, Canada
Kermode Bears are omnivores just like black bears. They eat berries, nuts, fruits, roots, grasses and other plants, insects, deer and moose fawns, carrion and, during the salmon season from late summer through fall, spawning salmon.
It is believed that Kermode bears evolved over the last 10,000 years from black bears that became isolated more than 300,000 years ago.
Photo by aaron clinard
Like most black bears, the Spirit Bear only weighs about half a pound at birth, growing to 150-300 pounds when fully grown. The Kermode's size averages between 4 and 6 feet. Height measured from paw to shoulders averages between 2 ½ and 3 feet.
The history of the Kermode Bear and the First Nation people starts with the creator Raven. Raven wanted something to remind him of the Long White Time of before, so he chose Bear. He made a deal with the black bears that one out of every ten bears turn white (Kermode Bear).
The Great Bear Rainforest is home to the planet's largest intact temperate rainforest, and is the only place in the world where you can see the Kermode Bear.
The Great Bear Rainforest is a vibrant and diverse ecosystem. Its a place where the waters teem with an abundance of marine life, including whales, sea otters, dolphins and sea lions.
In 2009 scientists proved that the white fur of the Spirit Bear enables it to catch more salmon than other bears, thus playing an important role in the ecosystem of one of the largest intact rainforests on the planet. In addition, the Spirit Bear hibernates in dry cavities inside trees during the winter.
Because numbers of salmon are down, grizzlies travel farther to look for food and are encroaching on spirit bear territory for the first time. This might be bad news for spirit bears. Grizzlies are larger and stronger, and usually chase other bears off from prime fishing spots.
Photo by Gregory "Slobirdr" Smith
The government of British Columbia allows the hunting of grizzly and black bears in the Great Bear Rainforest. So while it is illegal to kill a spirit bear, hunters may shoot a black bear that carries the crucial gene.
Photo by fine_plan
