POLAR BEARS.
Showing a portion of their den and pool cut from the solid rock.
The bears of North America form four well-defined groups, as follows:
The Polar Bear. The Grizzly Bear. The Alaskan Brown Bears. The Black Bears, and their allies.
Up to this date (April 1, 1913), 24 species and subspecies have been described, and it is reasonably certain that much more work remains to be done on the members of this group of animals before the status of each valid and invalid species will be rendered thoroughly clear.
The most noteworthy species are as follows:
| THE MOST IMPORTANT SPECIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BEARS. | ||
|---|---|---|
| Ursus maritimus, (Desm.), Polar Bear. Arctic regions generally. | ||
| The Brown Bears. | Ursus middendorffi, (Merriam), Kadiak Bear. Kadiak Is., Alaska. | |
| Ursus dalli, (Merr.), Yakutat Bear. Yakutat Bay, Alaska. | ||
| Ursus eulophus, (Merr.), Admiralty Bear. Admiralty Is., Alaska. | ||
| Ursus gyas, (Merr.), Peninsula Bear. Portage Bay, Alaska Peninsula. | ||
| The Grizzly Bears. | Ursus Horribilis, (Ord.), Grizzly Bear: Silver-Tip. Wyoming and Utah to Alaska. | |
| Ursas horribilis horriaeus, (Baird), Mexican Grizzly. Southwestern New Mexico. | ||
| Ursus richardsoni, (Swainson), Barren-Ground Grizzly. Great Slave Lake region, and Barren-Grounds. | ||
| The Black Bears. | Ursus americanus, (Pallas), Black Bear. Eastern North America. | |
| Ursus luteolus, (Griffith), Louisiana Bear. Louisiana and Texas. | ||
| Ursus floridanus, (Merr.), Everglade Bear. Florida. | ||
| Ursus emmonsi, (Dall), Glacier Bear. St. Elias Alps, Yakutat Bay. | ||
| Ursus kermodei, (Hornaday), Inland White Bear. Northwestern British Columbia. | ||
The Polar Bear, (Ursus maritimus).—In nearly every collection of living bears the individuals of this species are the most showy and attractive. Their white coats quickly catch the eye of the visitor, and whether young or old, they are generally the most active and playful of all captive bears. In cold weather, when other bears lie in the sun, or, if permitted, curl up in the straw of their sleeping dens, the Polar Bear will disport himself in the freezing cold water of his swimming pool, and joyously play with a cake of ice until the sight of it makes one shiver.
The Polar Bear Den is situated at the north end of Rocking-Stone Hill, about two hundred feet from the north end of the main series of Bear Dens. It is reached by descending the steps leading toward the Beaver Pond, and turning to the right. From the Rocking-Stone Restaurant, the Polar Bears are quickly reached by descending the hill toward the north.
Although the Polar Bear inhabits practically the whole of the Arctic Ocean and its numerous islands, it is by no means the most northerly warm-blooded mammal. Nansen found fox tracks at 85° N., but the most northerly bear observed was on the 84th parallel. The favorite home of this animal is the edge of the great polar ice cap, where Neptune and the “Frost King” wage continuous warfare. He seldom ventures more than a day’s journey inland, on any shore. In winter, as the edge of the ice-pack moves southward, and in summer when it retreats northward, he follows it in order to keep in touch with the ringed seals and walrus that also go with it.