Grizzly Bear
Diet
Grizzly
bears are omnivorous. In
spring they graze first on roots and then switch to new grasses and sedges
as they emerge. Bears in
mountainous areas move up and down slopes in response to available
vegetation. On the barrens
they move to areas of early snow melt in the spring to feed on new growth.
During late summer and fall they feed primarily on berries. They
also eat a great many lemmings and ground squirrels, which they excavate
from burrows. With respect to
large animals, bears are opportunistic predators and will kill caribou,
moose, muskoxen and sheep if the occasion arises.
A
full-grown healthy animal is usually a good match for a grizzly and it is
generally the very young, very old, or sick and wounded animals which become
victims. However, instances of
grizzlies killing healthy full-grown animals are known.
Grizzlies
are also carrion eaters and the carcasses of winter-killed animals probably
provide an important diet item in spring before vegetation is available.
Another
favourite food of grizzly bears is garbage.
In southern parks, grizzlies are well-known for congregating at dumps.
This has not been a problem in the NWT, though as many
as six grizzlies have been seen at the dump in Tungsten.
Grizzlies also appear occasionally at fishing camps and remote industrial
sites, where they are sometimes shot in defense of life or property.
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