- Camera traps bring you closer to the secretive natural world and are an important conservation tool to study wildlife. This week we’re meeting the second largest terrestrial carnivore on the planet: the brown bear.
The brown bear (Ursus arctos) is the most widespread species of bear ranging from North America to Europe and Asia. Due to this, they live in all sorts of habitats: temperate forests, coastal areas, meadows, grasslands, tundra and even semi-deserts. Brown bears are omnivorous and opportunistic. They feast on all types of fungi, plant matter, invertebrates, fish, reptiles, birds, eggs, and mammals. However, their diet changes seasonally. During winter hibernation, bears lose up to 43 % of their body mass so when winter ends, they gain back their weight by eating mainly meat. Brown bears live up to 30 years in the wild. Unfortunately, humans are responsible for the majority of their deaths. On their southern range, populations have undergone significant contraction mainly due to land-use change. Watch the video to learn more about this bear!
Special thanks to the Zoological Society of London for sharing the camera trap videos. The footage was captured as part of a project run by Bioterra & NatureSpy. The cameras were placed in two parks in Croatia: Northern Velebit National Park – a land of mountains, forests and pits – and Nature Park Biokovo, home to striking, rugged, scrub-covered mountains.
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Romi Castagnino is Mongabay’s bilingual writer. Find her on Twitter and Instagram: @romi_Castagnino
