How to determine the difference between male and female grizzly bears:
By Professor Larry, Guide John, and written by Morty:
How does one tell whether a grizzly is a male or female without getting too close to it? I don't know as there's any sure way from a distance, but here are some guidelines we use to tell them apart.
The male is usually bigger than the female. His head appears to be smaller in comparison to his body. The females usually appear to have shorter legs and are a bit more squat in appearance. Females have a shorter "wheel base" as one so ingeniusly put it.
It's not really hard to tell the males from the females in the mating season, which is in May and June. The male often walks with a swaying walk with their hind legs farther apart than normal. The folks at Hallo Bay have dubbed it "the cowboy walk". They really do look like a bow-legged cowboy!
The female is more likely to be digging for clams. For some unknown reason it seems that the males don't often dig for clams. So if one is seen digging for clams, it's very likely a female.
And, of course, the tried and true way to tell the males from the females is to watch them urinate. The males urinate forward, and the females backward! If you are lucky enough to see that, then you will know without a doubt whether the bear you are seeing is a boy or girl grizzly. * Clint has more on this in "Comments"
By Professor Larry, Guide John, and written by Morty:
How does one tell whether a grizzly is a male or female without getting too close to it? I don't know as there's any sure way from a distance, but here are some guidelines we use to tell them apart.
The male is usually bigger than the female. His head appears to be smaller in comparison to his body. The females usually appear to have shorter legs and are a bit more squat in appearance. Females have a shorter "wheel base" as one so ingeniusly put it.
It's not really hard to tell the males from the females in the mating season, which is in May and June. The male often walks with a swaying walk with their hind legs farther apart than normal. The folks at Hallo Bay have dubbed it "the cowboy walk". They really do look like a bow-legged cowboy!
The female is more likely to be digging for clams. For some unknown reason it seems that the males don't often dig for clams. So if one is seen digging for clams, it's very likely a female.
And, of course, the tried and true way to tell the males from the females is to watch them urinate. The males urinate forward, and the females backward! If you are lucky enough to see that, then you will know without a doubt whether the bear you are seeing is a boy or girl grizzly. * Clint has more on this in "Comments"
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If Larry the rock star says so, its gotta be fact!
ReplyDeleteChris in Texas
Professor Larry is WRONG males do not pee forward, they pee almost straight down for the most part and females he is right do pee outward from the back, but there are times they just let it dribble down so that it almost looks like a male. Professor Larry do you remember your "Emma" who we had to rename after 2 years to EMMETT!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteClint
i thought it was the male bears left the seat up....
ReplyDeleteferre'