#kermode bears

[bearotonin-international]

Hello fellow bear lovers! I have an oc who is a kermode bear centaur (human waist up, bear waist down)! I don’t get much practice drawing him though :/ could you give me some goofy kermode bear (or normal blackbear!) pictures i can use for practice?

so we know you didn't ask for this but the team's gonna nerd out for a couple minutes here and provide a couple fun facts about kermode bears (the team is procrastinating doing actual work). and then provide the requested photos as we always do :)

for anyone who doesn't know, kermode bears are a subspecies of black bears, and most kermode bears do not actually have white coats. kermode bears with white coats are called spirit bears (and only about 10-20% of kermode bears are spirit bears). the white of the spirit bear is a specific coat color morph that is much more genetically common in the kermode bear population. (there's a recessive mutant gene that must be present in both parents (bearants) for the cub to be a spirit bear).

(here's a funky lil graphic about spirit bear genetics)

so it's pretty common for kermode bear mixed families with cubs that are different colors from their mothers and/or each other

there is research suggesting two primary reasons the prominence of the white coat in kermode bears is because it gives the bears an advantage while fishing during the day time, because the fish are less likely to see their light coats from underwater (kermode bears are supremely skilled and successful slammers of salmon) (there's all kinds of fun facts about the dietary differences of spirit bears and kermode bears inhabiting the same reasons).

another reason for the prominence of spirit bears is because of positive assortative mating (aka white kermode bears breed more with other white kermode bears (and black kermode bears tend to breed more with other black kermode bears)) (one of the fun theories for why this occurs is that babies are more likely to imprint on their mother's coat color)

there's all kinds of other fun facts about spirit & kermode bears, but we've gone on long enough so

TLDR not all kermode bears are spirit bears but all spirit bears are kermode bears

okay now on to some silly kermode bears as actually requested

[pangeen]

" Spirit Bear " //© Paul Nicklen

" The Great Bear Rainforest is a land of giant salmon-fed trees, mossy streams filled with fish, and black bears born with golden-white fur. For centuries, the existence of spirit bears or kermode bears was carefully guarded by people like the Gitga’at and Kitasoo/Xai’xais First Nations, who consider the bears to be sacred. Only about one out of ten black bears in the region are born with the characteristic white fur thanks to a recessive genetic mutation carried within their DNA. The bears depend on the seasonal salmon migrations to survive the winters and, in turn, help support the local ecosystem by dragging their prey deep into the forest where the remains enrich the soil, allowing trees to reach unimaginable heights. Treading through the heart of the emerald forest is like stepping back to a time belonging solely to the wild forces of nature. "

[atarial]

finished updating my old bears picture!

the panda and polar bear are completely redrawn, the brown bear has a new face, and it's all just had a go over and touch up

[whereifindsanity]

instagram.com

@iantmcallister

[smokey-cat]

bears

[jebigaurr]

ghost core

[johnnyslittleanimalblog]

Kermode Bear by Brandon Broderick Via Flickr: The Kermode Bear, or Spirit Bear, is a unique subspecies of black bear with a white fur coat. It is estimated that only 400-1000 of them exist in nature and I feel extremely lucky to have been able to have this encounter with such an amazing and rare animal. Enjoy! www.brandonbroderick.com

[changeling-ash]

Okay so the new footprints.

I see tracks, the career wildlife biologist in me goes feral and I went on an Identification Spree with my animal tracking guides. So.

First off, it would fit that these are the hind paw prints of a bear. The back paws of a bear are elongated compared to the front, looking slightly more humanoid. That fits with what we believe about Cucurucho being a bear.

(Images: two figures of bear tracks, both showing a short, round front paw and a long, boxy back paw. They have indents where the claws imprint. The first also contrasts the differences between black and grizzly bear tracks.)

However, we can ID further than just bear. What kind of bear is Cucurucho? As you can see above, grizzly bears have a flat top edge, and they have very long claws that jut out very far from the toepad, making very disconnected indents in tracks. They also have wide, bulky feet compared to our other bear species. Black bears, however, have a more rounded top edge, and their claws are much shorter and make indentations close to the toepads. Sometimes tracks will have the claws connected to the toe pad. Which means black bears fit much, much better with the tracks seen in the image.

The prints are a little more slender than the above bear tracks, though that may be because they're on a furry instead of an actual bear lol. More humanoid bear tracks.

Now I can hear you saying: But Cucurucho is white! Shouldn't he be a polar bear? But no. Polar bears often don't leave tracks with claw marks, since the claws are very short and don't brush the ground. Also, polar bear tracks often have fringed edges with brush marks, as they have paws completely covered with fur. None of that there.

However. There is very much a way that Black Bear Cucurucho makes sense. There are white American black bears, and they are not albino, but a mutated recessive trait. A Canadian subspecies, Ursus americanus kermodei. Kermode bears, otherwise known as "spirit bears."

Behold. Cucurucho.

[sitting-on-me-bum]

Photographer Gets Rare Glimpse of British Columbia’s Spirit Bears / Kermode Bear

Photographer: Jenny Stevens

[turochamp]

my au where theyre open season because i thought about it and liked it

[soars22]

So I was looking at the tracks and-

Yeah. Those are definitely bear tracks. If I had to guess, it probably has something to do with the whole Elena/purgatory worker/potential war situation that was hinted at previously. So this year’s definitely going to be fun!

[bearotonin-international]

Shortbread brought her slammed salmon off the to forrest to enjoy her meal amongst the foliage

[dogwise]

[sketch-shepherd-art]

Was inspired to make a Brother Bear OC so here's a kermode bear/spirit bear named Panuk

[cypherdecypher]

Animal of the Day!

Kermode Bear (Ursus americanus kermodei)

(Photo from NWF)

Conservation Status- Unlisted

Habitat- West-central British Columbia

Size (Weight/Length)- 300 kg; 2 m

Diet- Salmon; Berries; Grasses; Insects; Nuts

Cool Facts- Upon first glance you might think this is a polar bear. The Kermode bear, also called a spirit bear, is actually a subspecies of American black bear only found in British Columbia. Most Kermode bears are black but 500 individuals on coastal islands have a mutation resulting in a white coloration mutation called leucism. Like other black bears, Kermode bears eat mostly plants outside of the salmon run and occasional scavenging. Due to their harder to see white fur, Kermode bears are more proficient at catching salmon than their darker relatives. Despite being considered black bears, and not endangered, efforts to keep white Kermode bears safe from oil pipelines and poaching is a combined effort between conservationists and First Nations. Combined efforts resulted in banning bear trophy hunting in the Great Bear Rainforest.

Rating- 12/10 (Please read Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelson)

[emmatheyoshi]

Because of the hype of the new Knuckles series…..

Regressor! Movie! Knuckles! Headcanons

🍇 Knuckles tends to regress to the 0-2 age range. He’s a tiny little guy.

🍇 Gayle is his main caregiver, but Tom and Maddie typically step in when Mama Gayle isn’t available.

🍇 Knuckles is used to coping via aggression, so once he discovered age regression, he began regressing a lot. And it’s mostly involuntary too.

🍇 He’s able to talk, but he prefers not to. And even then, he can’t say a whole lot.

🍇 Very much a paci baby. Gayle always carries at least one with her at all times.

🍇 His favorite toys? Calico Critters. He loves making up scenarios and setting up little scenes with the figures.

🍇 His favorite pet names are baby boy, bubba, and little one.

🍇 He occasionally forgets how strong he is and breaks crayons, causing him to cry. Luckily, Gayle found the simplest solution is the best solution: twistable crayons.

🍇 A lot of people think his favorite show when regressed is something like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but they couldn’t be further from the actual answer. His favorite cartoon is Oswald. (The octopus, not Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, though he likes him too.)

🍇 He also likes Bear and the Big Blue House, Little Bear, Blue’s Clues, basically any calming and slow paced show.

🍇 When regresses down to a newborn, he gets very fussy. Luckily, Gayle has learned what he needs when he’s regressed so young.

🍇 He has major baby-brain. The first time he regressed, he completely freaked out as he was unable to recognize Gayle.