Kodiak - the largest bear on the planet

The largest bear on the planet is known as Kodiak. It is one of the subspecies of brown bears and in most countries is under state protection. By its dimensions, this animal is superior not only to its relatives, but even to the "king of beasts." Weight of the average male is more than 700 kilograms, and the female is about 300 kilograms. However, it should be noted that there were Kodiak individuals whose mass exceeded the one ton mark. Answering the question about which bear is the largest, it is necessary to take into account the nuance that in summer these animals weigh about one-third more than after hibernation. However, there is no other terrestrial predator with such dimensions.

The animal has a compact and at the same time strong, muscular body with a short tail. His head is large, and his paws are long. The largest bear on the planet has a dark brown hair, which in some individuals is almost black. Despite the fact that Kodiak is considered a predator, it feeds on different foods. Most often it becomes a fish of the salmon family, coming to spawn in local shallow-water rivers. In addition, the animal often uses nuts, berries and various roots. As for the hunting of other animals, this happens only in exceptional cases.

In the way of life these animals are loners and never form flocks. Only in the breeding season, which falls for the summer, pairs are formed. The female Kodiak usually gives birth every four years, usually in the winter, from one to three cubs. They stay with her until the age of four. The largest brown bear is considered an adult when he is six years old. After weaning from their mother, small males try to get away from it, and females, on the contrary, tend to stay as close as possible. She, in turn, always comes to the rescue in case of danger. In this regard, the survival rate for cubs is 56 and 80 percent, respectively.

The habitat of the predator is the islands of the Kodiak archipelago on the southern coast of Alaska. The largest bear is the main local attraction and annually attracts a large number of tourists. At present, there are about three thousand individuals of this animal on the planet, so hunting for it is strictly limited by legislation. It is allowed to shoot Kodiaks, which is a maximum of 160 individuals per year.

By their dimensions, the Kodiaks are almost inferior only to polar bears. From their brown relatives, they differ only in the place of residence and fur color. Moreover, this variety is better tolerated by severe frosts, and the structure of their paws allows you to run faster on the ice. An animal lives on the islands of the Arctic. Often, the title "the largest bear" is given to him. The predator eats mostly ringed seals, seals and fish, which can catch their scent at a distance of up to six hundred meters. The animal perfectly swims and within a few days can overcome a distance of five hundred kilometers. Currently, the planet has approximately 27 thousand individuals of this animal, and hunting for it is strictly limited.