How do you spot a spirit bear?
One in ten black bears is pale, and to produce pale cubs both parents – white or black – must carry the gene that results in the white or cream-coloured coat. That means the chances of a couple of black bears producing a spirit bear is pretty slim, even if one of them is a spirit bear itself.
What are three facts about spirit bears?
Spirit bears can run up to 55 km per hour. They can go without food for up to seven months during hibernation in northern areas. Spirit bears can live for more than 25 years in the wild.
What are spirit bears known for?
Spirit bears are known by the scientific name Ursus americanus kermodei and they belong to the Ursidae family. These bears are characterized by their beautiful white fur, love for salmon, and rarity. In fact, these bears are so rare, only a few 100 of them are alive today.
What makes the spirit bear so special?
Spirit bears are not a unique species or subspecies, but a unique colouration of the coastal British Columbian black bear subspecies kermodei. Spirit bears are rare white- or cream-coated black bears whose colouration is caused by a genetic trait that is uncommon within coastal black bears.
What is another name for a spirit bear?
The Kermode bear, sometimes called the spirit bear (Ursus americanus kermodei), is a subspecies of the American black bear and lives in the Central and North Coast regions of British Columbia, Canada.
Is the bear in Touching Spirit Bear Real?
Now, spirit bears are a real species, also known as Kermode bear. As Edwin explains to Cole in the book, they are a special kind of American black bear. They’re revered in indigenous cultures of the Pacific Northwest as a wise and spiritual creature.
What is the legend of spirit bear?
According to native legends, spirit bears could swim deep underwater and lead people to magical places. Legend also has it that Raven, the Creator, made every tenth black bear on one island white as a reminder of the last ice age, which was 10,000 years ago.
What is the rarest type of bear?
the Gobi bear
In the southern third of Mongolia in the Gobi Desert lives the rarest bear in the world — the Gobi bear, also referred to as the Gobi grizzly, or called by its name in Mongolian, Mazaalai.
What are Spirit bears characteristics from Touching Spirit Bear?
One of the most important characters cannot speak: a ”special black bear called the Spirit Bear. ” This bear may belong to the black bear family, but it is ”pure white and has pride, dignity, and honor.
What does the circle symbolize in Touching Spirit Bear?
Circles. The various circles that Cole notices and encounters throughout the novel symbolize connectedness community, and healing.
What a bear symbolizes?
The Native Bear Symbol represents strength, family, vitality courage and health. The bear is thoughtful and independent, with little need for fellowship. The bear is also self-contained and strong-willed in nature.
What is a blonde bear?
Blonde bears frequently have darker legs, he said, and color variations are often regional. “In the Interior, the Brooks Range, Nome, light-colored blondish bears are pretty common,” he said. Southeast Alaska also has light colored bears on some islands and not others.
Is a bear a spirit animal?
The bear as a spirit animal or totem is one of the most ancient worshiped animals. Remains of bears have been found in many archeological sites in Europe especially, where bear bones and skulls were found together with human bones dating back to the Neanderthals.
What do bears symbolize?
What Do Bears Symbolize. A bear stands for energy, confidence, self-healing, peace, understanding, solitude, motherhood, activeness, courage, resurrection, optimism, and majesty. As a totem guide, a bear shows you how to overlook your minor problems and appreciate the beauty of life.
What does bear spirit animal mean?
The bear spirit animal symbolizes dominion and authority, and being larger than life. It signifies respecting the laws of boundaries and standing tall against adversities. The bear meaning also speaks about protection and commitment.
What is the symbolism of the bear?
The bear is a sacred animal of many meanings in Native American culture. Most prevalently, the symbol of the bear is a sign of spiritual and physical power and courage. Because the bear is such a highly regarded animal within Native culture, the bear claw often represents protection and a connection to the animal.