This trophy, an Alaskan Kodiak grizzly, is an incredible artifact displayed in the Anne Land Room at the Lake Country Museum and Archives. One can wonder how dominant this creature would have been in the natural world. It is certainly a dominating specimen in the collection, and it is one of the first artifacts which people notice when they walk into the Anne Land room. The bear’s large claws are known in aboriginal mythology to bring strength and power to an individual, as explained by the Native Languages of Americas website. The claws were worn around a warrior’s neck, in battles and in ceremonies. This bear’s claws measure to be roughly 4 inches long.
Grizzlies are a type of brown bear, not to be confused with a brown black bear. Brown bears are more aggressive than black bears, and they do not become intimidated by people when they find them on forest trails, or in the wilderness. Bears, even grizzlies, can climb trees and it is not a good idea to try and escape one, by either running or climbing a tree. A grizzly’s large claws make it more difficult for it to climb a tree, versus a black bear. Not surprisingly, grizzlies are very fast and will likely catch someone before they reach a tree.
The typical diet of an Alaskan Kodiak grizzly consists of: berries, roots, Alaskan salmon, elk, deer, seeds, grasses, dead animals, fungi, and insects. Grizzlies are mostly found in Europe and North America; they have an extremely good sense of smell, with a range of up to 20 km, and they are very good at digging, because of their large claws. Grizzlies are commonly referred to as the North American brown bear.
To see this Alaskan Kodiak Grizzly come to the Lake Country Museum and Archives. Summer hours are 10 am to 4 pm every day but Monday.
By Jacob Semenuik
Another point of interest: this particular bear located at the museum is only 4’6″ tall and 22″ wide – quite small for a grizzly.
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