Bears Quiz: Species and Characteristics

Bears are a small group of large mammals, with 8 species.
They are found on all continents except Antarctica and Australia.
Bears live a long time, taking many years to reach sexual maturity.
Black and grizzly bears hibernate in winter, while polar bears fast on land during summer.
Bears are solitary animals, except for mothers and their young.
Black and grizzly bears are crepuscular, while polar bears are diurnal.
Bears have poor vision and hearing, but their sense of smell is well-developed.
Most bears are herbivores, except for polar bears.

Black bears have shaggy coats that range in color from black to brown to honey-colored.
They have short, stout bodies with short, strong legs.
Their feet are large and wide, with curved black claws.
Black bears have straight snouts, with a relatively flat angle from their eyes to the tip of their nose.
Their ears are spaced far apart.
Black bears primarily inhabit forests.
They are omnivorous, with a diet consisting mostly of plants, except when garbage is available.
Black bears are excellent tree climbers.
Habitat fragmentation can increase black bear populations in some areas.
Lehtal control is used to manage problem bears in urban areas.

Grizzly bears have brownish to yellowish coats with white-tipped guard hairs, giving them a grizzled appearance.
They can also be black or nearly white.
Their large, flat paws have very long claws.
Grizzly bears have a concave nose and a shoulder hump.
Their diet consists mainly of plants (70-80%), but they also consume carrion.
Grizzly bears prefer open or semi-open areas.
The prairie population of grizzly bears is extirpated.
Grizzly bears are threatened, with fewer than 700 remaining in a specific province.
A hunting ban was implemented in 2006.
Grizzly bears have been found to hybridize with polar bears, creating "pizzly" or "growler" bears.
Grizzly bears were extirpated from their primary grassland habitat, now inhabiting suboptimal mountain and forest habitats.

Dogs belong to the Canidae family.
This family includes wolves, coyotes, foxes, and other canine species.
Canids are widely distributed, found on all continents except Antarctica.
Their sense of smell and hearing are crucial, while their vision is less developed.
Larger canids commonly live in packs with structured social hierarchies and mating systems.
Packs can take down prey much larger than themselves.
Canids mark their territories with scent (urine and scat).
Several canine species have faced significant persecution.
Domestic dogs evolved from selective breeding of wolves.

Coyotes, also known as prairie wolves, have a grey, buffy, or reddish-grey coat with grizzled hairs.
They possess a pointed nose and tawny snout and ears.
Coyotes have bushy tails.
They typically run with their tail between their legs when startled.
Coyotes are fast, capable of running at speeds of 40-50 km/h.
Coyotes are native to North America.
Explorers rarely mentioned coyotes in their journals 200 years ago.
Coyote populations are influenced by wolf control efforts.
Humans have tried to eradicate coyotes, but they have been unsuccessful.
Coyotes are generalists, consuming various foods like mice, voles, ground squirrels, hares, fruits, and carrion.
Coyotes often hunt and eat adult animals in packs.

Grey wolves have grizzled grey, black (in forests), or creamy white (in tundra) fur.
Their appearance resembles robust German Shepherds, with large paws.
They have bushy tails that extend straight out when running.
Tail height can indicate the wolf's status within a pack.
Grey wolf packs function as superorganisms, meaning they cooperate and work together.
Grey wolves can prey on adult moose.
Social hierarchies are led by an alpha male and female, who are typically the breeders.
Grey wolves communicate using howls.
Grey wolves were introduced to Yellowstone National Park from Canada in 1995, altering the park's ecosystem.
The endangered status of grey wolves is highly variable across the United States.
Grey wolves face ongoing controversy surrounding bounty and control programs, historically being viewed as vermin.

Red foxes are small and slender, with very bushy tails that have white tips.
They are typically red-orange with white chests, bellies, and chins.
A cross phase appears in northern and mountainous areas, and a silver phase appears in prairie regions.
Red foxes are habitat generalists.
They primarily eat rodents, often being beneficial to farmers and ranchers.
Red foxes will also eat small livestock, but are generally not a threat to mixed farms with small stock chickens.
Grey wolves do not typically control red fox populations.
Coyote's are the main predators of red foxes.
Female foxes, known as vixens, enlarge badger or marmot holes to create dens, sometimes making them larger than average.
Red foxes are ~25% bigger than arctic foxes.

Swift foxes are about the size of a domestic cat.
Their backs are light-colored, often pale rufous or buffy grey.
Their sides are yellowish buff.
Swift foxes have long white or black-tipped guard hairs that give them a grizzled appearance.
They have black spots on their muzzles.
Swift foxes have a black tip on their tails.
Their necks, ears, and legs are orange.
Swift foxes were extirpated from the prairie regions by 1938.
They were reintroduced from the USA (between 1980 and 1990).
Breeding populations now exist in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and along the USA border.
Swift foxes are listed as endangered by COSEWIC.