Bears and Canines

Canines can be found in any habitat, and across every continent except Antarctica.  When imagining canines, most folks visualize wolves or our trusted doggy companions.  Lassie may be the descendant of impressive, wild wolves, but the ancestors of wolves are allegedly small, fox-like creatures.  Canines started out as scavengers, surviving by stealth and avoiding the attention of much larger creatures.  Even the most powerful canine predators of today’s world lack the lethal jaws of a big cat.  Wolves and coyotes often catch and overpower food by working as a team to trap and exhaust the animal in question.  Foxes, on the other hand, thrive on rodents, carrion, and fruits / plants, all of which go down with little resistance.  Unlike canines, bears (although quite large, themselves) are the descendants of terrifyingly-large ancestors.  The largest bears known to have existed may have flirted with a stunning weight of 4000 lbs!  Bears are mostly solitary creatures (and a fortunate thing that is, as I would likely wet myself in the event of encountering a pack of bears).  Based on their home range and food available, all bears, making the exception of the polar variety, are omnivores (meaning they will gladly consume just about anything that smells right).  Despite their occasional bad-rap, bears will very rarely pursue humans and generally only wish to be left alone.  Always respect a bear’s space (especially when cubs are present) and they will respect yours!