Evening Republican, Volume 23, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 February 1920 — Naturalist Describes and Names Eighty-Six Species of Browns and Grizzlies [ARTICLE]

Naturalist Describes and Names Eighty-Six Species of Browns and Grizzlies

All the Alaskan brown bears look very much alike, says Dr. William T. Hornaday, in Boys’ Life. To be more exact, they strongly show the distinguishing characteristics of their group. Some are light brown, some are dark brown, and some have dark legs and light bodies. If I should try to name even the best-known species, and give their characteristics, no one would remember them for two hours. It is not amiss, however, to give here the names and places of the species that are at this moment living in our zoological park collections; and iri doing so I will begin with the most southerly species we have and work northward: Admiralty bear, Ursus eulophus. Admiralty Island. Yakutat bear, Ursus dalli, Yakutat bay. Kadiak beat, Ursus middendorffi, Kadiak island. Peninsula bear, Ursus dalli gyas, Alaskan peninsula. Kobuk bear, Ursus innuitus, Kobuk river. Last year a startling thing happened. For a full quarter of a century. Doctor Merriam has been collecting bear skulls and studying North American bears. And then. all of a sudden, out came from him an inno-cent-looking little pamphlet describing and naming 86 species of Alaskan brown bears and grizzly bears! And Doctor Merriam declares that the skulls before him left him nothing else -— Of course we cannot follow up the devoted 86 species, and become personally and permanently acquainted with each one. It is about all I can ,do to keep step with the five live species daily before me.