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$Unique_ID{QAD00238}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{Grizzly Bear}
$Subject{Grizzly Bear; Ursus; Ferox}
$Journal{Quadrupeds of North America: Volume III}
$Volume{Vol. 3:141-152}
$Genus{Ursus}
$Species{Ferox}
$Common_Name{Grizzly Bear}
$Log{
Plate CXXXI*00238P1.scf
Genus*00152.txt}
Portions copyright (c) Creative Multimedia Corp., 1990-91, 1992
A U D U B O N ' S M A M M A L S
By John James Audubon, F. R. S., &c. &c.
AND
The Rev. John Bachman, D. D., &c. &c.
-------------------------------------------
VOL. III.
--------------------------------
URSUS FEROX.--LEWIS and CLARK.
[Ursus arctos]
GRIZZLY BEAR.
[THREATENED]
PLATE CXXXI.--MALES.
M. Magnitudine U. Americanum longe superans, plantis et unguibus
longioribus, auriculis brevioribus quam in isto; pilis saturate fuscis, apice
griseis.
CHARACTERS.
Larger than the American Black Bear; soles of feet, and claws, longer, and
ears shorter than in the Black Bear. Colour of the hair, dark brown, with paler
tips.
SYNONYMES.
GRIZZLY BEAR. Umfreville, Hudson's Bay, p. 168. Ann. 1790.
GRISLY BEAR. Mackenzie's Voyage, p. 160. Ann. 1801.
WHITE, or BROWN-GREY BEAR. Gass' Journal of Lewis and Clark's Expedition,
pp. 45, 116, 346. Ann. 1808.
GRIZZLY, BROWN, WHITE, AND VARIEGATED BEAR--URSUS FEROX. Lewis and Clark,
Expedition, vol. i. pp. 284, 293, 343, 375; vol. iii. pp. 25, 268.
Ann. 1814.
URSUS FEROX. De Witt Clinton, Trans. Philos. and Lit. Society New York,
vol. 1, p. 56. Ann. 1815.
GRIZZLY BEAR. Warden's United States, vol. i. p. 197. Ann. 1819.
GREY BEAR. Harmon's Journal, p. 417. Ann. 1820.
URSUS CINEREUS. Desm. Mamm. No. 253. Ann. 1820.
URSUS HORRIBILIS. Ord, Guthrie's Geography, vol. ii. p. 299.
URSUS HORRIBILIS. Say, Long's Expedition, vol. ii. p. 244, note 34.
Ann. 1822.
URSUS CANDESCENS. Hamilton Smith, Griffith. An. Kingdom, vol. ii. p. 299;
vol. v. No. 320. Ann. 1826.
URSUS CINEREUS. Harlan, Fauna, p. 48.
GRIZZLY BEAR. Godman's Nat. Hist., vol. i. p. 131.
URSUS FEROX. Rich., Fauna Boreali Americana, p. 24, Plate 1.
DESCRIPTION.
The Grizzly Bear in form resembles the Norwegian variety of Ursus Arctos,
the Brown Bear of Europe; the facial line is rectilinear or slightly arched;
head, short and round; nose, bare; ears, rather small, and more hairy than those
of the Black Bear; legs, stout; body, large, but less fat and heavy in
proportion, than that of the Black Bear.
Tail, short; paws and nails, very long, the latter extending from three to
five inches beyond the hair on the toes; they are compressed and channelled.
Hair, long and abundant, particularly about the head and neck, the longest hairs
being in summer about three inches, and in winter five or six inches long. The
jaws are strong, and the teeth very large.
The fore feet somewhat resemble the human hand, and are soft to the touch;
they have larger claws than the hind feet. The animal treads on the whole palm
and entire heel.
COLOUR.
The Grizzly Bear varies greatly in colour, so much so, indeed, that it is
difficult to find two specimens alike: the young are in general blacker than
the old ones. The hair however is commonly dark brown at the roots and for
about three fourths of its length, then gradually fades into reddish-brown, and
is broadly tipped with white intermixed with irregular patches of black or
dull-brown, thus presenting a hoary or grizzly appearance on the surface, from
which the vulgar specific name is derived.
A specimen procured by us presents the following colouring: Nose, to near
the eyes, light brown; legs, forehead, and ears, black. An irregularly mixed
dark grayish-brown prevails on the body, except on the neck, shoulders, upper
portion of fore-legs, and sides adjoining the shoulders, which parts are barred
or marked with light yellowish-gray, and the hairs in places tipped with
yellowish or dingy white. Iris, dark brown.
DIMENSIONS.
Male, killed by J. J. AUDUBON and party on the Missouri river, in
1843--not full grown.
Feet. Inches.
From point of nose to root of tail, . . . . 5 6
Tail (vertebrae), . . . . . . . . . . 0 3
Tail (including hair),. . . . . . . . . 0 4
From point of nose to ear, . . . . . . . 1 4
Width of ear,. . . . . . . . . . . . 0 3 1/2
Length of eye, . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1
Height at shoulder,. . . . . . . . . . 8 5
Height at rump, . . . . . . . . . . . 4 7
Length of palm of fore foot,. . . . . . . 0 8
Breadth of palm of fore foot, . . . . . . 0 6
Length of sole of hind foot,. . . . . . . 0 9 1/2
Breadth of sole of hind foot, . . . . . . 0 5 1/2
Girth around the body, behind the shoulders, . 4 1
Width between the ears on the skull, . . . . 0 7 1/2
HABITS.
We have passed many hours of excitement, and some, perchance, of danger, in
the wilder portions of our country; and at times memory recals adventures we can
now hardly attempt to describe; nor can we ever again feel the enthusiasm such
scenes produced in us. Our readers must therefore imagine, the startling
sensations experienced on a sudden and quite unexpected face-to-face meeting
with the savage Grizzly Bear--the huge shaggy monster disputing possession of
the wilderness against all comers, and threatening immediate attack!
Whilst in a neighbourhood where the Grizzly Bear may possibly be hidden,
the excited nerves will cause the heart's pulsations to quicken if but a
startled ground-squirrel run past; the sharp click of the lock is heard, and the
rifle hastily thrown to the shoulder, before a second of time has assured the
hunter of the trifling cause of his emotion.
But although dreaded alike by white hunter and by red man, this animal is
fortunately not very abundant to the eastward of the Rocky Mountains, and the
chance of encountering him does not often occur. We saw only a few of these
formidable beasts during our expedition up the Missouri river and in the country
over which we hunted during our last journey to the west.
The Indians, as is well known, consider the slaughter of a Grizzly Bear a
feat second only to scalping an enemy, and necklaces made of the claws of this
beast are worn as trophies by even the bravest among them.
On the 22d of August, 1843, we killed one of these Bears, and as our
journals are before us, and thinking it may be of interest, we will extract the
account of the day's proceedings, although part of it has no connection with our
present subject. We were descending the Upper Missouri river.
"The weather being fine we left our camp of the previous night early, but
had made only about twelve miles when the wind arose and prevented our men from
making any headway with the oars; we therefore landed under a high bank amongst
a number of fallen trees and some drifted timber. All hands went in search of
elks. Mr. CULBERTSON killed a deer, and with the help of Mr. SQUIRES brought
the meat to the boat. We saw nothing during a long walk we took, but hearing
three or four gunshots which we thought were fired by some o