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5d5e8e6d-8887-4620-9f1b-062f1d2f6744 < Back Slide 72 of 83 < > One of their special values is they often become hollow, like this one, and make homes for larger wildlife than does any other northern tree.

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c85efc31-ec0f-4b6d-90d3-54469f8579bc < Back Preparing for Cubs This black bear mother is preparing for the birth of her cubs by gathering balsam fir branches that she then chewed up for more bedding. Previous Next

1b8a07aa-8c33-46e7-8fcc-92a2e57b5307 Smiling Bears, A Zookeeper Explores the Behavior and Emotional Life of Bears Few people have known bears as intimately as Else Poulsen has. This remarkable book reveals the many insights about bears and their emotional lives that she has gained through her years of work with them. Always approaching each bear with the same two questions in mind — "Who are you?" and "What can I do for you?" — Poulsen has shared in the joy of a polar bear discovering soil under her paws for the first time in 20 years and felt the pride of a cub learning to crack nuts with her molars. She has also felt the hateful stare of one bear that she could not befriend, and she has grieved in the abject horror of captivity for a sun bear in Indonesia. Featuring photographs from Poulsen's personal collection, Smiling Bears provides an enlightening and moving portrait of bears in all their richness and complexity. Else Poulsen May 5, 2009 272 Pages:

f20d7aee-42b8-4e9f-96ff-b85c8ad268b0 < Back Licking Just Before Birth A half an hour before birth she begins licking herself. Previous Next

4d920656-1ca5-47c1-9225-7092667a1314 < Back Slide 70 of 83 < > When cubs have to stay up trees for hours to escape danger, it's important in spring in northern Minnesota that the tree be a white pine that can give shade instead of a deciduous tree that doesn't have any leaves yet because even on cool days, the sun can make cubs' black fur so hot they can die if they can't find shade.

VOCALIZATIONS AND BEHAVIORS When a b ear makes sounds and gestures, what do they mean to communicate? We cannot speak bear, but we can have a very good idea what a bear wants to say when it speaks. We can watch how a bear communicates with other bears and then recognize the similarities when a bear tries to communicate with a human. What we have learned is that when bears communicate with people in this manner, an attack on a person has not happened. Too often bears are killed by people for communicating with people the best way they know how. The bears are killed because their behavior during communication is misunderstood as being aggressive and dangerous. The communicating bear is not aggressive, it is uneasy and nervous. Mike McIntosh WiseAboutBears.org Video and Audio files provided by the Wildlife Research Institute and the North American Bear Center Family and Friendly Sounds Cub Screaming When cubs are afraid, they scream. That’s the sound that brings mom running. Cubs Nursing Black bear cubs make motor-like pleasure sounds as they nurse. Friendly Sounds of a Captive Bear Friendly sounds are tongue-clicks and grunts. Grunts From Mother to Cub Grunts are most often from mothers to cubs. The cub is saying, “Mom, come back. I need you.” When she comes, we’ll hear the mother give a couple higher-pitched grunts of greeting and then her usual grunts of concern. Motherly Grunts June with her cubs Spring 2007. Mourning a Missing Cub They use their human-like voice to express a number of emotions. This sound of mourning is from a mother who is missing a cub. she made this sound for 3 days, even while nursing her other cubs, until the moment they all were re-united. Tongue Clicks During Courting Tongue-clicks are most intense when they are from a male to an estrus females. Scary Sounds You Shouldn't Be Afraid Of Harmless Nervous Bluster These instinctive behaviors are displays of nervousness and not preludes to an attack Moaning This moan of fear is sometimes interpreted as a growl. It’s often from a bear too scared to come down from a tree. Forceful blowing indicates high anxiety Anxiety is expressed with a long, narrowed muzzle and forceful blowing, sometimes followed by clacking teeth. Huffing is the release of nervous energy Bears huff when they’re getting over a scare, like a person taking a deep breath. They do it when they reach safety up a tree, when they finally dare to come down, and when they stop running away. Bluff-charging is harmless bluster This mother had an unusual tendency to bluff-charge. When she got close, she showed fear by blowing and clacking her teeth just before she retreated. Pounce and slap = nervous uncertainty When a bear is uncertain, it often lunges toward the possible danger, slaps the ground or a tree, and blows. It’s just part of assessing whether to run or stay. Sounds of Conflict Bears make a deep-throated pulsing sound when they are very distressed.

54302c11-ea25-4fb8-8f6c-2fddebb9c68c < Back Elimination of Waste When the mother had to urinate or defecate, she backed into a corner—or to the entrance. The cub cried for the mother to come back and keep it warm. Notice the trail of urine at the end of the video. Previous Next

c268fb29-cf4c-4227-af3b-740545318f61 < Back < >

daae7475-3b19-4fd2-8d09-ea2524d0ce42 < Back Moaning This moan of fear is sometimes interpreted as a growl. It’s often from a bear too scared to come down from a tree.

092c0497-3d8e-484e-aa5a-78184700597c The Great American Bear A natural history of the habitats, behavior, biology, and relationships with civilization of the bears across America. Jeff Fair January 1, 1990 192 Pages:

0429f2df-c487-4050-bb4e-bf6a97e73db2 < Back Protecting Cubs from Cold To warm the cubs, mothers tuck their cubs underneath them and breath on them with her head tucked under her chest. The cubs are not hibernating. Their job is to nurse, sleep, and grow quickly. Previous Next