WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.840 --> 00:00:03.879 Oh hi, Hey, it's that person with your exact same 2 00:00:04.000 --> 00:00:06.240 name that you wanted to follow on Instagram because you 3 00:00:06.240 --> 00:00:08.960 thought it'd be funny, but they never approved your follow request. 4 00:00:09.039 --> 00:00:11.839 Ali Ward back with an episode of Ologies you have 5 00:00:11.880 --> 00:00:15.400 begged me for? You've pleaded with me Bears, Bears do bears? 6 00:00:15.400 --> 00:00:17.679 Do bears? What's wrong with you? Do bears? And it 7 00:00:17.719 --> 00:00:20.440 has been a few years in the making because bear 8 00:00:20.559 --> 00:00:24.079 scientists are busy people people, and I had the wonderful 9 00:00:24.199 --> 00:00:27.559 doctor ray Wyn Grant on deck, but the pandemic, she 10 00:00:27.640 --> 00:00:29.960 started doing fieldwork, and then I started meeting more and 11 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:31.719 more bear biologists and I didn't know what to do 12 00:00:31.760 --> 00:00:34.000 because they were all great. And then this bear guy 13 00:00:34.039 --> 00:00:36.320 happened to be available. I jumped at the chance to 14 00:00:36.439 --> 00:00:39.759 chat bruins with him. And Patrons, thank you so so 15 00:00:39.880 --> 00:00:43.000 much for supporting the show. You can join Patreon for 16 00:00:43.079 --> 00:00:45.399 as little as a dollar a month. Patrons sent in 17 00:00:45.520 --> 00:00:49.159 almost five hundred questions for this one, which we couldn't 18 00:00:49.240 --> 00:00:53.280 possibly have gotten through in one episode, so surprise for everyone, 19 00:00:53.560 --> 00:00:57.359 there was going to be another with even more personologists, 20 00:00:57.479 --> 00:01:00.359 so sit tight for that. But before we meet this 21 00:01:00.439 --> 00:01:03.200 episode's ologists, and thank you also to everyone who rates 22 00:01:03.240 --> 00:01:06.920 and subscribes to Ologies. It means so much. It honestly 23 00:01:07.000 --> 00:01:09.879 keeps this podcast in front of so many other ears 24 00:01:09.920 --> 00:01:12.959 and eyeballs, and I read every single one, and then 25 00:01:13.000 --> 00:01:15.640 I thank someone who has recently left a review this week, 26 00:01:15.920 --> 00:01:19.719 such as Justin vick who said the back catalog of 27 00:01:19.719 --> 00:01:23.400 Bologies held great promise. So I started the Volcanology episode 28 00:01:23.439 --> 00:01:25.920 and haven't looked back. As of tonight, I've caught up 29 00:01:25.920 --> 00:01:28.840 on all the old episodes, leaving me both satisfied and 30 00:01:28.879 --> 00:01:32.439 disappointed that I'll have to wait for new episodes. Ologies 31 00:01:32.519 --> 00:01:34.439 shares the work of so many cool people and interesting 32 00:01:34.480 --> 00:01:37.560 topics while always being fun, engaging, accessible, and progressive. Thanks 33 00:01:37.599 --> 00:01:40.599 Ali and all the Ologists. Justin Vickay, thank you for 34 00:01:40.640 --> 00:01:44.159 the review. Also, if you have listened to Volcanology, Jess 35 00:01:44.200 --> 00:01:46.480 Phoenix has a new book that just came out called 36 00:01:46.680 --> 00:01:51.879 Misadventures My Wild Explorations in Science, Lava and Life, and 37 00:01:52.159 --> 00:01:54.000 I just thought I would plug that because she's great, 38 00:01:54.000 --> 00:01:56.000 So if you listen to Volcanology, get her book. Okay, 39 00:01:56.120 --> 00:01:59.680 buckle up for Bears. So Ersenology comes from Ursus Latin 40 00:01:59.719 --> 00:02:05.239 for bear. In Greek it's arctus, so if that's right, Arctus. 41 00:02:05.480 --> 00:02:09.560 The Arctic has bears, Antarctica does not. I will never 42 00:02:09.719 --> 00:02:13.680 be the same after learning this week. So this ologist 43 00:02:13.879 --> 00:02:17.280 who what a get? So not only is his voice 44 00:02:17.919 --> 00:02:21.280 just butter in your ears, which doesn't really make sense, 45 00:02:21.520 --> 00:02:26.520 but it's good. The dude also just loves bears so much. 46 00:02:26.599 --> 00:02:30.240 He studied conservation management in Farmborough in the UK, got 47 00:02:30.280 --> 00:02:34.360 a bachelor's in applied ecology, a master's in advanced ecology, 48 00:02:34.400 --> 00:02:37.280 and has studied all kinds of forest critters, but his 49 00:02:37.360 --> 00:02:40.199 heart is all about versus. So he co founded the 50 00:02:40.240 --> 00:02:43.479 Grizzly Bear Outreach Project, which is now the Western Wildlife 51 00:02:43.520 --> 00:02:47.960 Outreach Organization, and he is the executive director of Wildlife Media, 52 00:02:48.000 --> 00:02:51.520 which is a nonprofit production company. He's done research and 53 00:02:51.680 --> 00:02:55.879 education on every continent where bears exist. He's talked about 54 00:02:55.960 --> 00:03:01.400 bears hosting programs for PBS, BBC, Discover and more. He 55 00:03:01.439 --> 00:03:05.120 also hosts a very good, highly acclaimed and respectable podcast 56 00:03:05.400 --> 00:03:09.000 called The Wild with Chris Morgan. And we recorded this 57 00:03:09.120 --> 00:03:11.000 episode a month or so ago, but I've been sitting 58 00:03:11.039 --> 00:03:14.080 on it because The Wild's new season debut today. So 59 00:03:14.159 --> 00:03:17.879 sit tight and learn about how many bear species there are. 60 00:03:18.319 --> 00:03:23.960 What happens during hibernation, Panda poops, milking of Grizzly weird, 61 00:03:24.159 --> 00:03:28.319 Teddy bear trivia, How to read a bear's behavior, camping 62 00:03:28.479 --> 00:03:33.840 and hiking safety tips, California Grizzlies. Of your cute ears, 63 00:03:34.159 --> 00:03:37.560 why are they so cute? Soft fur? And the absolute 64 00:03:37.639 --> 00:03:42.000 majesty of winter bear butts with bear friend and world 65 00:03:42.039 --> 00:04:05.240 renowned ersenologist Chris Morgan. I'm so stressed out about this, 66 00:04:05.400 --> 00:04:09.120 I can't even tell you. Boy, the most stressful interview. 67 00:04:09.319 --> 00:04:11.879 I have never had so many questions about bears. 68 00:04:14.719 --> 00:04:16.120 Thanks really lovely to hear. 69 00:04:16.959 --> 00:04:19.279 I don't know how I'm going to get to all them. 70 00:04:19.279 --> 00:04:20.680 It's like those game shows where you have to go 71 00:04:20.720 --> 00:04:23.199 shopping in like under a minute. The clock is ticking. 72 00:04:24.319 --> 00:04:26.439 And first thing I always have people do up top, 73 00:04:27.040 --> 00:04:29.279 you could say your first and last name, and also 74 00:04:29.319 --> 00:04:30.399 what pronouns you use. 75 00:04:31.360 --> 00:04:34.439 Yes, it's Chris Morgan and he. 76 00:04:34.560 --> 00:04:41.319 Him cool and now you are an erthenologist correct. 77 00:04:42.000 --> 00:04:43.560 Yes, I guess I am. 78 00:04:43.800 --> 00:04:46.720 Yes, Yes, I have a feeling you do not use 79 00:04:46.759 --> 00:04:47.600 that word very often. 80 00:04:47.720 --> 00:04:50.639 Not really. No. I was thinking about that before the call, 81 00:04:50.920 --> 00:04:54.199 and it is. Yeah, it's a strange word that you 82 00:04:54.199 --> 00:04:57.600 don't hear much in the world of bear biology and conservation. 83 00:04:57.800 --> 00:04:59.319 But it makes total sense. 84 00:05:00.199 --> 00:05:03.959 And you're a bear biologist and a conservationist slightly more 85 00:05:04.000 --> 00:05:07.600 syllables than arsenologist, but you're a person who studies bears. 86 00:05:08.120 --> 00:05:10.800 Yes, I've done quite a bit of studying of bears, 87 00:05:10.959 --> 00:05:13.759 and I'm part of a community of people around the 88 00:05:13.759 --> 00:05:16.920 world that actually focus their lives on these creatures. So 89 00:05:16.920 --> 00:05:20.000 it's a pretty interesting group of folks, these ersenologists or 90 00:05:20.040 --> 00:05:23.079 bear experts or bear biologists. And you know, some of 91 00:05:23.160 --> 00:05:27.439 us are outreach and educators and born from science, and 92 00:05:27.600 --> 00:05:31.920 others are the hardcore sort of field work research biologists 93 00:05:31.959 --> 00:05:34.240 that focus every day of their lives doing that stuff. 94 00:05:34.279 --> 00:05:36.120 And I've dabbled in just about all of it. My 95 00:05:36.199 --> 00:05:41.240 whole life is about bears and appreciating them, understanding them, 96 00:05:41.319 --> 00:05:44.879 telling stories about them, having people sort of relate to 97 00:05:44.920 --> 00:05:50.199 them in some ways, and maybe even learn about themselves 98 00:05:50.199 --> 00:05:50.879 in the process. 99 00:05:51.680 --> 00:05:55.120 Well, speaking about the humans involved. What is a gathering 100 00:05:55.160 --> 00:06:00.160 of bear people like? Good? What's the vibe? 101 00:06:01.000 --> 00:06:02.920 There can be a lot of ego in the room, 102 00:06:04.639 --> 00:06:07.720 you know, these big creatures. It would be a very 103 00:06:07.759 --> 00:06:11.040 interesting task, actually to interview lots of different bar biologists 104 00:06:11.040 --> 00:06:13.720 from various parts of the world and ask them why 105 00:06:13.759 --> 00:06:16.040 they got into it, And I'm sure there's as many 106 00:06:16.439 --> 00:06:21.759 different reasons as there are bear biologists. Some of it 107 00:06:21.800 --> 00:06:24.040 is just born of the fact that these creatures are 108 00:06:24.079 --> 00:06:29.000 so incredibly big, impressive and physical. There's a presence about them. 109 00:06:29.600 --> 00:06:33.120 Another aspect is their high intelligence. Another aspect is their 110 00:06:33.120 --> 00:06:36.000 conservation value. By protecting them, you protect all kinds of 111 00:06:36.040 --> 00:06:40.519 other species. And so for different people, it's maybe different reasons. 112 00:06:41.040 --> 00:06:43.519 And some people slip into it by mistake like I did, 113 00:06:43.600 --> 00:06:47.720 and other people sort of focused their entire you know, life, 114 00:06:47.720 --> 00:06:50.199 from day one on these creatures because perhaps they were 115 00:06:50.240 --> 00:06:53.519 born into it, by their parents being into it, or so. 116 00:06:54.000 --> 00:06:57.160 It's always an interesting mix of people at these gatherings. 117 00:06:57.240 --> 00:06:59.759 In fact, there are there's an organization called the International 118 00:07:00.000 --> 00:07:04.079 Snociation for Bear Research and Management, and it's made up 119 00:07:04.759 --> 00:07:06.399 a few years ago at least, it was made up 120 00:07:06.439 --> 00:07:09.879 of about six hundred bear biologists around the world, so 121 00:07:09.920 --> 00:07:12.959 it's a big community and each of them studying various 122 00:07:13.000 --> 00:07:16.079 aspects of their own bear species, from India to the 123 00:07:16.319 --> 00:07:19.240 Arctic and South America to Russia, you know. So we 124 00:07:19.319 --> 00:07:21.680 have these bear conferences and there's a lot of drinking 125 00:07:22.360 --> 00:07:25.360 and a lot of bear stories as you can imagine, 126 00:07:25.639 --> 00:07:28.560 and a lot of science shared and a lot of enthusiasm. 127 00:07:28.720 --> 00:07:32.480 And then there's certain little cliques and you know, the 128 00:07:32.639 --> 00:07:35.920 last biologists bear biologists stick together a bit more. There's 129 00:07:35.959 --> 00:07:38.680 the grizzly corner. You know, there's the black bears that 130 00:07:38.720 --> 00:07:41.160 are not quite up to being a grizzly bear, but 131 00:07:41.240 --> 00:07:42.839 you know it's really interesting dynamics. 132 00:07:42.879 --> 00:07:46.680 Yeah, well, speaking of that, I understand that there's not 133 00:07:46.879 --> 00:07:51.480 that many bear species in nature, is or something like seven? 134 00:07:51.600 --> 00:07:51.920 Are there? 135 00:07:52.040 --> 00:07:52.600 Way more? 136 00:07:53.000 --> 00:07:56.160 No, there's eight bear species. That's it. It's a nice 137 00:07:56.160 --> 00:08:02.040 little tidy package of It's a family of animal called urcids, 138 00:08:02.519 --> 00:08:04.560 and so there's only eight of them around the world. 139 00:08:04.560 --> 00:08:06.120 So I've always I always feel like it makes it 140 00:08:06.199 --> 00:08:10.079 quite manageable, quite understandable. Like way back in history talking 141 00:08:10.120 --> 00:08:14.240 a hundred years, you know, when nomenclature was really taking hold. 142 00:08:14.639 --> 00:08:18.240 Nomenclature. Is that a regime or was it a war? 143 00:08:19.079 --> 00:08:22.040 It took me a minute, but I realized it's nomenclature. 144 00:08:22.360 --> 00:08:26.839 So yes, at the start of binomial nomenclature of genus 145 00:08:26.879 --> 00:08:27.680 and species and. 146 00:08:27.639 --> 00:08:31.000 Such, it was thought that there were dozens, perhaps even 147 00:08:31.120 --> 00:08:33.840 hundreds of different bear species, but that's sort of condensed. 148 00:08:33.840 --> 00:08:35.480 They've been clumped a bit more. You know, you get 149 00:08:35.480 --> 00:08:38.200 your splitters and clumpers when it comes to these Latin 150 00:08:38.279 --> 00:08:42.559 names for different bear species, and like, for example, brown bears. 151 00:08:43.679 --> 00:08:45.799 Some of the biggest bears in fact, if not the 152 00:08:45.879 --> 00:08:48.799 biggest bears in the world, are brown bears coastal Alaskan 153 00:08:48.799 --> 00:08:50.720 brown bears and those found in that part of the 154 00:08:50.759 --> 00:08:54.159 world and the equivalent over income Chatka in Alaska. These 155 00:08:54.159 --> 00:08:58.879 big fish eating brown bears that get to colossal I 156 00:08:58.919 --> 00:09:01.879 always think like dinas or prehistoric proportions. Some of them, 157 00:09:01.960 --> 00:09:05.120 the biggest can be eighteen nineteen hundred pounds when they 158 00:09:05.120 --> 00:09:08.399 go into their dens. Right, that's a brown bear. That's 159 00:09:08.559 --> 00:09:12.840 Ursus arctus. It doesn't get more bear than Ursus arctus. 160 00:09:12.879 --> 00:09:16.159 You know. Ursus arctus literally means bear bear, one in 161 00:09:16.240 --> 00:09:18.360 Latin and one in Greek. So you don't get more 162 00:09:18.399 --> 00:09:19.720 bear than Ursus arcus. 163 00:09:19.840 --> 00:09:20.039 Right. 164 00:09:20.879 --> 00:09:25.320 So these giant bears in Alaska same species as a 165 00:09:25.360 --> 00:09:29.240 brown bear in Italy in the Bitso's Mountains, where there 166 00:09:29.279 --> 00:09:33.559 are maybe two hundred and fifty pounds in weight, almost 167 00:09:34.039 --> 00:09:36.600 ten times less heavy than some of the bears in 168 00:09:36.639 --> 00:09:38.919 Alaska five times at least, you know. 169 00:09:39.279 --> 00:09:43.639 So, yes, those nineteen hundred pound chalkers up in Alaska 170 00:09:43.759 --> 00:09:47.320 and then the two hundred and fifty pound Italian alps 171 00:09:47.639 --> 00:09:49.440 burrinos across the globe. 172 00:09:49.559 --> 00:09:54.200 Same species though ursus arcs. These bear bears grizzlies, right, 173 00:09:54.240 --> 00:09:56.759 so I call them euro grizzlies. So you can see 174 00:09:56.759 --> 00:10:00.720 how this family of bears, even just within grizzlies were 175 00:10:00.799 --> 00:10:03.360 split ion to go into war. That's got a bit 176 00:10:03.360 --> 00:10:05.080 of different species to the one in Alaska. You know, 177 00:10:05.120 --> 00:10:08.519 Italian and Alaskan bears can't surely be the same, but 178 00:10:08.639 --> 00:10:12.399 they've clumped them more now into just these eight. So yeah, 179 00:10:12.440 --> 00:10:14.519 it's pretty interesting the history of them. 180 00:10:14.960 --> 00:10:18.320 And how did they get to where they are. How 181 00:10:18.320 --> 00:10:21.279 did the range expand all over the globe I guess 182 00:10:21.360 --> 00:10:22.799 other than the Anarctic. 183 00:10:23.799 --> 00:10:26.919 Yeah, yeah, they're found on four continents around the world. 184 00:10:27.120 --> 00:10:29.519 They're not found in Australia. Everyone always says, well, what 185 00:10:29.559 --> 00:10:33.600 about koalas, you know, distinctly muscle peels as you probably know, 186 00:10:34.080 --> 00:10:38.159 they're not in the bear family Kohala bears. So yeah, 187 00:10:38.159 --> 00:10:40.000 they are, and especially when it comes to brown bears, 188 00:10:40.000 --> 00:10:42.360 they're one of the most widespread. They are the most 189 00:10:42.399 --> 00:10:45.919 widespread of the eight bear species, and you know, starting 190 00:10:46.000 --> 00:10:52.519 life in the Asian subcontinent and working their way to 191 00:10:52.879 --> 00:10:55.679 the New World across the Bearing land Bridge. 192 00:10:55.960 --> 00:11:00.240 If you're secretly wondering where is the Bearing straight again, Well, 193 00:11:00.240 --> 00:11:05.360 it's the slim fifty five mile ocean corridor where Alaska 194 00:11:05.799 --> 00:11:10.919 almost touches Russia like two outstretched fingers on the Sistine 195 00:11:11.000 --> 00:11:14.360 Chapel ceiling. Except during the Ice Age the sea levels 196 00:11:14.559 --> 00:11:17.759 were three hundred feet lower, and so there wasn't so 197 00:11:17.879 --> 00:11:21.200 much as a land bridge, but like a land promenade 198 00:11:21.480 --> 00:11:25.399 over which bears and humans and all manner of clever 199 00:11:25.519 --> 00:11:30.559 beast could just saunter over and freaking camels camels that 200 00:11:30.679 --> 00:11:33.960 evolved in North America and piece the fuck out and 201 00:11:34.000 --> 00:11:39.559 headed to the other direction. This historical region is called Berryingia, which, 202 00:11:39.559 --> 00:11:41.759 if you asked me, sounds a little too much like Basinca. 203 00:11:42.200 --> 00:11:48.200 They became incredibly successful, incredibly diverse in their habits, and 204 00:11:48.320 --> 00:11:53.240 incredibly adaptable is the word, and it makes them my 205 00:11:53.320 --> 00:11:56.240 favorite species, the gristly bears, the one that I've looked 206 00:11:56.279 --> 00:11:59.320 into and worked with and around and being around most. 207 00:12:00.080 --> 00:12:04.360 I just think it's partly that these creatures are. Oh, 208 00:12:04.440 --> 00:12:07.639 they look at every day of their life with calculated 209 00:12:07.759 --> 00:12:12.600 risk and reward and memory and figuring out what they 210 00:12:12.639 --> 00:12:16.200 need to accomplish that that day and that week and 211 00:12:16.240 --> 00:12:18.120 that month and that season in front of them. And 212 00:12:18.480 --> 00:12:23.000 there's some that they're so highly intelligent. They've become incredibly 213 00:12:23.000 --> 00:12:27.320 adaptable and successful as a bear species, and so they're 214 00:12:27.360 --> 00:12:30.200 the most widespread the brown grizzly bears. Brown and grizzly 215 00:12:30.200 --> 00:12:31.200 are the same species. 216 00:12:31.759 --> 00:12:34.480 Okay, that was my next question because I was like, 217 00:12:34.559 --> 00:12:37.120 wait a second, You've called them grizzlies and brown So 218 00:12:37.559 --> 00:12:40.039 brown bear is a grizzly, but a black bear is 219 00:12:40.039 --> 00:12:40.840 not a grizzly, Is. 220 00:12:40.799 --> 00:12:43.519 That right, right? Exactly? Yes, So we would call a 221 00:12:43.559 --> 00:12:47.679 grizzly a brown bear in Italy, right, So they're all 222 00:12:47.759 --> 00:12:50.360 under the umbrella of being a brown bear. Some of 223 00:12:50.360 --> 00:12:52.720 them are called grizzlies, and those are in North America. 224 00:12:53.120 --> 00:12:56.080 Those interior grizzly bears that we hear about, the famous 225 00:12:56.120 --> 00:13:01.320 Yellowstone bears, those are grizzlies interior or Alaska, those are grizzlies. Interestingly, though, 226 00:13:01.360 --> 00:13:03.279 even in North America, you start getting to the coast 227 00:13:03.279 --> 00:13:06.759 and people start referring to them as brown bears, but 228 00:13:06.840 --> 00:13:09.399 the umbrella is brown bear. And then some brown bears 229 00:13:09.399 --> 00:13:11.639 are referred to as grizzlies, even though I joke about 230 00:13:11.679 --> 00:13:14.919 these these little Italian bears being like the Ureo grizzly. 231 00:13:14.960 --> 00:13:20.559 You know, it's kind of like Americans have huge trucks, 232 00:13:20.679 --> 00:13:24.759 and then there are smart cars in Europe, like a 233 00:13:24.919 --> 00:13:26.840 Fiat still a car. 234 00:13:27.440 --> 00:13:30.759 Everything is bigger over here in the spense. Yeah, yeah, 235 00:13:30.879 --> 00:13:31.279 so yes. 236 00:13:31.360 --> 00:13:34.320 Grizzlies and brown bears and kodiak bears, they're all the 237 00:13:34.399 --> 00:13:37.559 same genus and species, but there are subspecies within them, 238 00:13:37.879 --> 00:13:43.320 including California's grizzly bear, which numbered over ten thousand before 239 00:13:43.440 --> 00:13:47.240 the discovery of gold nuggets in northern California in the 240 00:13:47.279 --> 00:13:51.080 mid eighteen hundreds, and by nineteen twenty four, every California 241 00:13:51.120 --> 00:13:54.639 grizzly bear had been hunted and killed, and a California 242 00:13:54.639 --> 00:13:59.039 grizzly with golden brown fur and that signature brown bear 243 00:13:59.240 --> 00:14:03.120 shoulder hump still adorns are state flag as a reminder 244 00:14:03.279 --> 00:14:06.559 of how they came here and killed stuff. That's not true, 245 00:14:06.799 --> 00:14:09.039 but it kind of is, but just a reminder on 246 00:14:09.080 --> 00:14:11.679 a flag with no grizzlies. Can we fix that well. 247 00:14:11.679 --> 00:14:14.200 In twenty fourteen, the US Fish and Wildlife Service was 248 00:14:14.200 --> 00:14:17.000 on the receiving end of a plan to reintroduce grizzly 249 00:14:17.000 --> 00:14:20.039 bears to California, and they were like, oh, that's okay, 250 00:14:20.200 --> 00:14:22.960 we have black bears. We're fine. So bear in mind 251 00:14:23.080 --> 00:14:25.919 that the brown bear isn't the only species of bear. 252 00:14:26.080 --> 00:14:28.960 Of course, there are seven other species, and you know 253 00:14:29.000 --> 00:14:31.840 they can sometimes I don't talk about them enough because 254 00:14:31.840 --> 00:14:34.679 they get so obsessed with the grizzlies, with the brown bears, 255 00:14:34.720 --> 00:14:37.879 you know, But the seven other species are found in 256 00:14:38.120 --> 00:14:41.679 really interesting places as well. So the species are up. 257 00:14:41.879 --> 00:14:43.840 Let's start in the North, the polar bears up there, 258 00:14:44.279 --> 00:14:48.120 grizzly brown bear that we've talked about, the American black bear, 259 00:14:49.000 --> 00:14:52.360 spectacle bears in South America. They have these spectacle marks 260 00:14:52.360 --> 00:14:55.039 looked like eyeglasses, so they called spectacle bears down in 261 00:14:55.080 --> 00:14:58.440 South America and the Andes. The Asiatic black bear different 262 00:14:58.480 --> 00:15:00.519 to the North American black bears, so are found over 263 00:15:00.559 --> 00:15:05.120 in Asia. The sloth bear, and that's a long, shaggy 264 00:15:05.120 --> 00:15:09.240 coated bear that specializes in eating termites in places like India. 265 00:15:09.399 --> 00:15:13.960 Interesting creatures. And then lastly the eight species and the smallest, 266 00:15:14.039 --> 00:15:17.559 interestingly enough, is the sun bear, and the sun bears 267 00:15:17.559 --> 00:15:21.240 are found in Borneo and south other places in southeastags 268 00:15:21.360 --> 00:15:23.480 Or I've seen them in Borneo and worked with some 269 00:15:23.519 --> 00:15:25.639 incredible people who are focused on sun bears there, and 270 00:15:25.679 --> 00:15:29.279 they're really tropical. So the cool thing about this range 271 00:15:29.320 --> 00:15:33.799 of these bears and where they're found is really the 272 00:15:33.879 --> 00:15:35.919 fact that they could be found. I mean, think about it, 273 00:15:36.039 --> 00:15:39.200 polar bear in the highest reaches of our planet, in 274 00:15:39.240 --> 00:15:46.360 the most hostile environment in the Arctic that it's thriving. 275 00:15:47.120 --> 00:15:49.320 The best part of a polar bears year is the 276 00:15:49.360 --> 00:15:51.480 middle of the winter. Can you imagine that pitch dark 277 00:15:51.600 --> 00:15:55.399 up there, absolutely treacherously freezing conditions, And that's when they're 278 00:15:55.399 --> 00:15:57.120 at their best, and that's where they're up and at it. 279 00:15:57.200 --> 00:15:58.679 That's where the hunting is best, you know. So you've 280 00:15:58.679 --> 00:16:00.840 got the polar bears up there at the same time 281 00:16:01.000 --> 00:16:04.960 as a bear and Borneo down in the tropics of 282 00:16:05.000 --> 00:16:09.200 Asia is scaling trees to eat figs. And these are 283 00:16:09.200 --> 00:16:12.000 the tiniest of bears, the smallest bear species. A big 284 00:16:12.039 --> 00:16:14.240 male might be a couple of hundred pounds or one 285 00:16:14.320 --> 00:16:18.519 hundred and fifty pounds, but they're really important because they 286 00:16:18.600 --> 00:16:23.039 help to manage and help this jungle, this rainforest home 287 00:16:23.080 --> 00:16:27.320 in Borneo thrive by spreading seeds, by telling the earth, 288 00:16:27.840 --> 00:16:33.200 by representing most importantly that ecosystem, that rainforest. So and 289 00:16:33.279 --> 00:16:35.799 we can talk more about that. Because they're incredibly powerful 290 00:16:35.799 --> 00:16:37.720 as umbrella species, we call them right, you know, just 291 00:16:37.720 --> 00:16:39.519 being able to look at a bear like a sun 292 00:16:39.559 --> 00:16:43.919 bear in Borneo, say hey, if we protect that population 293 00:16:44.559 --> 00:16:47.600 of sun bears in Borneo, we protect everything it needs. Right, 294 00:16:47.679 --> 00:16:51.320 So you're automatically by default protecting that forest, and bears 295 00:16:51.320 --> 00:16:53.320 are awesome at that, right. Every one of these species 296 00:16:53.360 --> 00:16:55.200 has a story to tell and a place to protect. 297 00:16:55.720 --> 00:16:58.720 Ps. What is an umbrella species, So that is a 298 00:16:58.759 --> 00:17:03.039 species that needs a pretty big habitat. It might migrate 299 00:17:03.279 --> 00:17:07.279 or need a pretty wide territory, and preserving their habitat 300 00:17:07.319 --> 00:17:10.160 provides protection for a ton of other species. So this 301 00:17:10.240 --> 00:17:12.759 is not to be confused with a keystone species, which 302 00:17:12.799 --> 00:17:17.119 really defines an ecosystem, really holds it together by being there, 303 00:17:17.240 --> 00:17:19.640 and without a keystone species, things would start to be 304 00:17:19.960 --> 00:17:23.960 thrown really off balanced. Now, an indicator species is one 305 00:17:24.079 --> 00:17:27.519 whose presence is a good sign things are going okay. 306 00:17:28.039 --> 00:17:32.240 Human beings probably not an indicator species tbh. But now 307 00:17:32.400 --> 00:17:35.599 let's move on to a hardball question, I think one 308 00:17:35.640 --> 00:17:38.960 that's on probably all of our minds, and as a 309 00:17:39.000 --> 00:17:45.559 bear biologist, do you get to hug any bears? Oh? 310 00:17:45.640 --> 00:17:48.640 One of the best days of my life was doing 311 00:17:48.720 --> 00:17:53.559 just that I've not done. I've not done bear research 312 00:17:53.640 --> 00:17:57.400 per se myself in dens. I've not done denning bear research. 313 00:17:57.440 --> 00:18:00.599 But we joined a biologist back east for I was 314 00:18:00.640 --> 00:18:05.200 working on a series for PBS about our animal homes. Like, great, 315 00:18:05.240 --> 00:18:06.960 we got to do animals. So it was everything from 316 00:18:07.000 --> 00:18:12.279 bird nests to beaver lodges and lots of different species 317 00:18:12.319 --> 00:18:16.359 over the course of about three different different episodes, and 318 00:18:16.400 --> 00:18:18.279 I'm like, we've got to do bears. They're like pretty 319 00:18:18.279 --> 00:18:20.559 obvious choice. Chris, Right, you're the bad guy, but I'm 320 00:18:20.559 --> 00:18:23.319 a bit biased, right, But I wanted this experience to 321 00:18:23.359 --> 00:18:26.599 get into a den with some bears, and so we 322 00:18:26.640 --> 00:18:30.920 went out to Maryland and literally crawled in with the 323 00:18:30.920 --> 00:18:35.200 biologists into this den. The bear was tranquilized, the female 324 00:18:35.240 --> 00:18:38.160 was tranquilized, and I got to pull out these four 325 00:18:38.160 --> 00:18:40.960 little cubs that were just born a matter of weeks beforehand, 326 00:18:41.119 --> 00:18:45.720 and I was just absolutely heart, heart melting. I had them, 327 00:18:46.000 --> 00:18:49.119 you know, as as we were processing the female and 328 00:18:49.359 --> 00:18:51.640 radio coloring her and taking a blood sample and just 329 00:18:51.720 --> 00:18:54.480 checking on her health. The cubs, of course, are used 330 00:18:54.480 --> 00:18:56.880 to being a need to be with the female to 331 00:18:56.960 --> 00:18:59.240 keep warm. I mean it was snowing, freezing cold outside, 332 00:18:59.279 --> 00:19:02.599 middle of winter, course, and so it was my job 333 00:19:02.599 --> 00:19:05.200 to hold these black bear cubs in my jacket while 334 00:19:05.240 --> 00:19:09.640 we process the female. Just purple eyes looking at me 335 00:19:09.759 --> 00:19:12.599 and just like hi, are you? Are you my new mom? 336 00:19:12.680 --> 00:19:15.920 It was the sweetest, sweetest thing. It'll stick with me forever. 337 00:19:15.960 --> 00:19:19.119 So yeah, crawling into those sorts of dens and having 338 00:19:19.119 --> 00:19:24.640 that kind of experience is amazing. Thinking about what those bears, 339 00:19:24.680 --> 00:19:28.440 what those bears are going through, and how they accomplish that, 340 00:19:29.319 --> 00:19:34.720 and hibernation is in bears is such an interesting thing. Well, 341 00:19:34.799 --> 00:19:37.119 can you imagine being a creature that big? I mean 342 00:19:37.160 --> 00:19:39.160 we're about as big as a black bear, right. 343 00:19:39.400 --> 00:19:41.960 How big is a black bear? So smaller than a 344 00:19:42.000 --> 00:19:45.440 brown bear, with females around one hundred and fifty pounds 345 00:19:45.440 --> 00:19:49.039 and males topping out usually around two fifty, about the 346 00:19:49.079 --> 00:19:51.680 size of an English mastiff, which is a very large doc. 347 00:19:51.799 --> 00:19:54.960 But there are outliers who have topped eight hundred pounds, 348 00:19:55.000 --> 00:19:58.400 which is huge for a black bear, and one gentle 349 00:19:58.519 --> 00:20:02.599 giant black bear named Duffy weighed six hundred and ninety 350 00:20:02.640 --> 00:20:06.839 pounds and then lost over four hundred pounds in a winter, 351 00:20:07.640 --> 00:20:09.960 just snoozing himself scrawny. 352 00:20:10.559 --> 00:20:13.559 So you imagine just saying, you know, October comes round 353 00:20:13.559 --> 00:20:16.480 and just going well, it's kind of cold, a little 354 00:20:16.480 --> 00:20:18.680 bit difficult to find food. I think you might just 355 00:20:18.759 --> 00:20:23.000 sleep for six months. It's incredible, isn't it. 356 00:20:23.359 --> 00:20:28.599 I can't imagine. I can imagine very well too well. 357 00:20:28.640 --> 00:20:32.400 In fact, you yeah, nice, long six months nap. Yeah, 358 00:20:33.079 --> 00:20:33.759 see ya. 359 00:20:33.880 --> 00:20:36.200 Well, I have a question about getting into it. The 360 00:20:36.240 --> 00:20:39.319 world would be overrun with ersenologists if there was a 361 00:20:39.359 --> 00:20:42.680 promise that one day, even for fifteen minutes, you got 362 00:20:42.680 --> 00:20:45.799 to snuggle a baby bear. I think you're right, But 363 00:20:45.880 --> 00:20:48.640 what kind of got you toward this path? Was there 364 00:20:48.640 --> 00:20:51.839 a specific species or an experience that you had that 365 00:20:51.920 --> 00:20:54.880 really kind of lit that fire in you? 366 00:20:55.759 --> 00:21:00.000 Yeah, definitely one. Really. Sometimes it's an evolution, isn't it, 367 00:21:00.039 --> 00:21:02.920 And an interest grows, and oftentimes it's like an intersection 368 00:21:03.200 --> 00:21:06.359 and you go left or right, or you bump into 369 00:21:06.400 --> 00:21:08.440 something or someone and for me, it was definitely that. 370 00:21:08.559 --> 00:21:11.680 And I'm from England originally. I've lived in the States 371 00:21:11.680 --> 00:21:14.799 twenty three years. But before I emigrated to the States, 372 00:21:15.200 --> 00:21:17.720 years before that, I was I'm fifty two now, so 373 00:21:17.759 --> 00:21:20.640 I was eighteen years old and wanted to come to 374 00:21:20.680 --> 00:21:23.359 the States and experience the wilderness of the place. 375 00:21:23.400 --> 00:21:23.559 You know. 376 00:21:23.839 --> 00:21:26.680 I always say that I think I was born with 377 00:21:26.720 --> 00:21:29.079 a very strong nature gene I like to call it, 378 00:21:29.480 --> 00:21:31.960 and I think everyone's born with a nature gene to 379 00:21:32.000 --> 00:21:34.839 some extent, but I think society sort of whittles it 380 00:21:34.880 --> 00:21:36.680 out of us and chips around at the edges of 381 00:21:37.000 --> 00:21:39.440 a nature gene to the point where people and young 382 00:21:39.519 --> 00:21:41.640 kids think, oh, I can't make a living out of it, 383 00:21:41.759 --> 00:21:44.480 or I can't you know, I can't survive by just 384 00:21:44.519 --> 00:21:47.519 having a nature gene, and perhaps they're teased at school. 385 00:21:47.559 --> 00:21:50.200 You know. We're often loners, we're often introverts. We're often 386 00:21:50.200 --> 00:21:51.720 people who just want to be out in the woods, 387 00:21:51.720 --> 00:21:55.119 turning over rocks and stones and looking for insects and stuff. Right, 388 00:21:55.200 --> 00:21:59.279 So I had all that about me and the depth 389 00:21:59.400 --> 00:22:02.400 of sort of love for wildlife, but I'd always dreamt 390 00:22:02.400 --> 00:22:04.039 of going to the States. So when I was eighteen, 391 00:22:04.759 --> 00:22:07.400 I came and worked on a summer camp in New Hampshire, 392 00:22:08.200 --> 00:22:12.200 like a wildlife conservation summer camp, and it was amazing 393 00:22:12.240 --> 00:22:15.200 all these young kids all there to learn about wildlife 394 00:22:15.400 --> 00:22:18.839 and about how to wildlife management and even hunting and 395 00:22:18.920 --> 00:22:23.160 other things, you know, bush skills, bushcraft and backcountry survival 396 00:22:23.240 --> 00:22:25.319 and things like that, and I loved it. So I 397 00:22:25.319 --> 00:22:28.880 came over as a summer camp counselor from England and 398 00:22:29.599 --> 00:22:32.640 we'd have these guests come through once in a while 399 00:22:32.680 --> 00:22:35.559 to talk to the kids about wildlife. And one week 400 00:22:35.599 --> 00:22:38.920 it was a moose biologist and this woman came in 401 00:22:38.960 --> 00:22:40.519