Kamchatka Brown Bear – the largest predator of the Russian forest zone. Since July, the basis of its diet on the peninsula is fish, namely spawning salmon. Almost always, even in the most "unstable" year, the bear is able to get food in the rivers. Another important component of the animal's diet is the cedar elfin nut, which, with a plentiful harvest, remains under snow until spring. Cedar elderberry grows everywhere in the forest zone, forming thickets that are difficult for humans to cross. They can often occupy hundreds of hectares and stretch for tens of kilometers. In harvest years, bears concentrate in places rich in cones and lie down in dens there or nearby, they also feed on them after leaving the dens. Berries (mountain ash, blueberries) also play a significant role in the nutrition of the animal. As a rule, since mid-September, bears have been visiting salmon spawning grounds on an irregular basis, switching to plant-based food. After leaving the dens, bears may not eat for quite a long time, using fat reserves. Many bears gather on the seashore, collecting discarded seaweed and other "gifts" of the ocean. On the thawed tundra, they dig up various roots and bulbs, dig in anthills in birch forests. The abundance and availability of food determine the rather calm nature of Kamchatka bears, they rarely attack people, as a rule, such animals are sick. |