Barren Ground Grizzly Bear Facts
- The barren ground grizzly, or Ursus Arctos, is a sub species of the brown bear and lives in the arctic and sub arctic on the tundra and taiga.
- Grizzly bears are the second largest land carnivores after the polar bear.
- One of the ways to distinguish grizzly bears from black bears is that grizzlies have a noticeable hump on their shoulders.
- Their fur is made up of coarse guard hairs and a thick coat of under-fur. colours range from light gold to almost black with the lightest bears most commonly found on the barren lands or tundra.
- Barren ground grizzlies are generally smaller than those found further south. They are at their largest in the fall before entering their dens and leanest in the spring when they emerge from their dens.
- Generally, females are smaller than males and reach their maximum weight before males do. Adult males and females can be anywhere between 146 and 382kg and measure an average of 2.6m in length.
- Barren ground grizzly bears are omnivorous. Caribou is a very important food source for the bears as well as small mammals such as lemmings, red-backed voles, ground squirrels, ringed seals, beached whales and various kinds of spawning fish. During the summer, horsetail, sedge, arctic cotton grass and various berries make up a large portion of the bears' diet.
- The breeding season for grizzlies is generally late spring to early summer. After a gestation period of six to eight months the female gives birth to usually two cubs, although one, three and even four are also possible.
- They are born in mid-winter and are the size of a small squirrel, weighing between 350-700g.
- Grizzlies live up to 25 years in the wild with no natural enemies other than humans.
Musk Ox Facts
- The musk ox, or Ovibos moschatus, lives on Canada’s arctic tundra.
- It is believed the musk ox have crossed the Bering Strait into Canada 90,000 years ago.
- It is estimated there are over 100,000 wild musk oxen roaming the mainland tundra and arctic islands of the North West Territories and Nunavut.
- Although the musk ox closely resembles the bison, they are actually the largest member of the sheep and goat family.
- On average, bulls (males) weigh between 270 and 315 kg (595 and 695 lbs), and cows (females) about 90 kg (200 lbs) less.
- Both cows and bulls have impressive horns. The horns curve downward toward the face, then out and up at the slender tips. On the bulls, the base of each horn extends across the forehead to meet as a solid “boss” of horn and bone up to 10 cm (4 in) thick.
- A patch of fur on the forehead separates the less massive but equally sharp horns of the cow. Almost hidden in the wool in front of the eyes is a small scent-producing, pre-orbital gland.
- Due to its amazing coat, the musk ox can survive under extreme arctic conditions. The very thick dark brown or nearly black coat, known as guard hair, can be as long as 60 cm (24 in); covering the musk ox completely except for the horns, hooves, lips and nose.
- Underneath the guard hair lies an extremely fine underwool known as qiviut. It is eight times
- warmer than sheep’s wool and finer than cashmere.
- Willows, grasses, and sedges form a major part of the musk ox diet.
- The keen sight of the musk ox is beneficial during the long winter darkness, and its acute sense of smell enables it to find food beneath the snow that covers everything from September to June.
