Hey there, adventure lovers! I'm on a mission to find the great grizzly bear! But first
I took a closer look at the mountain lion.
These creatures make their homes from the Canadian Rockies all the way down to the tip
of South America.
Due to their golden coats, which allow them to blend into the mountainside, mountain lions
have the "best defense." Their large padded paws allow them to leap from rock to rock even
on the jagged cliffs where they prefer to live!
Searching through the forest, I thought we had come across a grizzly bear. It turned out to
be a vicious creature, smaller in size, but able to take down a grizzly -- a wolverine!
You never want to turn your back on one of these nasty beasts. Wolverines are the largest
member of the weasel family and extremely aggressive. Those sharp teeth are something
you don't want to have an encounter with.
I came to a clearing and found I was not alone. Though a river flowed between me and the
black bear I spotted, I wasn't feeling completely safe. These creatures are fast swimmers,
despite their 300-to-400-pound bodies.
Only half the size of grizzly bears, black bears have sloping backs and long, narrow noses.
They are solitary creatures and will most likely run away when they see humans, so be sure
to make a little noise to scare them off.
The Canadian lynx looks like a bobcat, although it is slightly bigger. The lynx has long
ears, tough fur, and a shortened tail. They are great pouncers and love to eat
snowshoe hares. The future of the Canadian lynx depends on the protection of it's habitat.
We were lucky to find this one.
Here's a survival tip: When you're in the woods, keep your food source away from where you
are sleeping, preferably sealed, in a tree.
Pinemartins are active during the day. Despite being so tiny, these creatures are
extremely aggressive and territorial. Due to nearly being wiped out by hunters for
their fur, pinemartins are protected.
I had to wait until nightfall to get a look at a grizzly bear searching for food.
Grizzlies weigh from 700 to 800 pounds! You can tell this bear is a grizzly because it's
muzzle is disc-like and it has a hump above its shoulder. These powerful bears eat
small creatures, like insects -- and large game, like elks.
While it may look like a grizzly is playing with trees, it is actually exercising its
hunting abilities.
'Til next time, stay wild!
Jeff
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