Bergman's Bear
Encyclopedia
The Bergman's Bear is an alleged and probably extinct
subspecies
of the Brown Bear
that lived in the Kamchatka Peninsula
. The bear was identified and named by Swedish
zoologist
Sten Bergman
in 1920.
Bergman determined that the bear was a separate subspecies after examining a hide (which had fur very different from other local bears) and series of footprints, measuring 14.5 x 10 inches, which he judged to be much larger than other bears on Kamchatka.
Some think that the Cold War
may have helped the population to recover because the Soviet Military blocked access to the area in that time.
Interest in the bear was revitalized in the 1960s. Hunter Rodion Sivobolov reported claims by Kamchatka natives of an unusually large bear they called either the Irkuiem (roughly meaning "trousers pulled down" due to the appearance of the bear's hind legs), or the "God bear" due to its large size.
Based on Sivobolov's description, biologist N.K. Vereshchagin suggested that the God bear might be a relict
Arctodus simus, a massive extinct bear. This idea was coolly received by the scientific community; Arctodus has never been found outside the Americas
, and more importantly, it belonged to the Tremarctinae
which differ considerably in appearance from the "typical" bears (Ursinae
). In particular, Arctodus had relatively long and slender legs which does not agree with the "trousers pulled down" moniker.
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of the Brown Bear
Brown Bear
The brown bear is a large bear distributed across much of northern Eurasia and North America. It can weigh from and its largest subspecies, the Kodiak Bear, rivals the polar bear as the largest member of the bear family and as the largest land-based predator.There are several recognized...
that lived in the Kamchatka Peninsula
Kamchatka Peninsula
The Kamchatka Peninsula is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of . It lies between the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Sea of Okhotsk to the west...
. The bear was identified and named by Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
zoologist
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
Sten Bergman
Sten Bergman
Sten Bergman was a Swedish zoologist, who visited Korea, Kamchatka, Papua New Guinea, and many other places.- Bergman's bear :...
in 1920.
Bergman determined that the bear was a separate subspecies after examining a hide (which had fur very different from other local bears) and series of footprints, measuring 14.5 x 10 inches, which he judged to be much larger than other bears on Kamchatka.
Some think that the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
may have helped the population to recover because the Soviet Military blocked access to the area in that time.
Interest in the bear was revitalized in the 1960s. Hunter Rodion Sivobolov reported claims by Kamchatka natives of an unusually large bear they called either the Irkuiem (roughly meaning "trousers pulled down" due to the appearance of the bear's hind legs), or the "God bear" due to its large size.
Based on Sivobolov's description, biologist N.K. Vereshchagin suggested that the God bear might be a relict
Relict
A relict is a surviving remnant of a natural phenomenon.* In biology a relict is an organism that at an earlier time was abundant in a large area but now occurs at only one or a few small areas....
Arctodus simus, a massive extinct bear. This idea was coolly received by the scientific community; Arctodus has never been found outside the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
, and more importantly, it belonged to the Tremarctinae
Tremarctinae
Tremarctinae is a term for the subfamily of Ursidae containing one living representative, the Spectacled Bear of South America, and several extinct species from four genera: the Florida spectacled bear , the North American short-faced bears of genera Plionarctos and Arctodus Tremarctinae is a...
which differ considerably in appearance from the "typical" bears (Ursinae
Ursinae
Ursinae is a subfamily of Ursidae named by Swainson though probably named before Hunt 1998. It was assigned to Ursidae by Bjork , Hunt and Jin et al...
). In particular, Arctodus had relatively long and slender legs which does not agree with the "trousers pulled down" moniker.