I just saw a report in the Globe and Mail that there have been an increasing number of grizzly bear sightings in polar bear territory near Churchill Manitoba, leading to speculation that these territorial beasts could engage in combat in the wild. The question is, who do you think would win? Polar bears average about 300 pounds larger than a grizzly, but the smaller beast has sharper longer claws. I should ask the question, has there ever been a documented conflict caught on video between these two species? Personally I think that I have to go with the grizzly. The polar bear may go 60-40 in Vegas, but I suspect that the grizzly may have a tactical advantage in how it would match up in a typical bear on bear skirmish. What do you think?
You will also hear political spin on this Globe story that grizzlies are migrating because the world is warming, and these are the "canaries in the coal mines" that David Suzuki likes to hype. The other theory is that territories are expanding because populations are booming. Either that or the reports of sightings are themselves bogus. I do get hits from northern Manitoba. Are the grizzly bears migrating?
Aliens vs Predator? Batman vs Captain America?
ReplyDeleteand for fans of the Buffyverse, there's the ever popular debate, who would win in a battle, caveman vs astronaut.
Shouldn't the government do something about this?
Aren't polar bears an endangered species?
As for nominal political content, there's always Stephane Dion vs Erkel.
Lets sell tickets to a cage match and the TV rights can be sold to anyone but the CBC. WE will use the funds to lobby to have the WWF et all defunded by the Government and to start a propaganda campaign against Global warming alarmists like Dr. Suesski and those Gorebots....
ReplyDeleteGreat question.
ReplyDeleteAngry Polar mommy would probably destroy hungry grizzly male looking for snacks on pups.
Two males, both well fed, I will go with Polar Bear.
>Reach
>Thicker hide
>Coke vs Pepsi thingy
There have been several documented cases of mixed bears. Maybe we will just get a new species.
ReplyDeleteDumb question, Polar Bear hands down. Must be a slow news day.
ReplyDeleteThere are grizzlies in Alaska, so I don't know why they wouldn't migrate to northern Manitoba if they felt like it.
ReplyDeleteI don't know who'd win in a fair fight between a grizzly and a polar bear, but I DO know there's only one man I'd want to referee that fight; David Suzuki.
DMorris
The only winner after a fight between these two behemoths?
ReplyDeleteStephen Colbert.
OOOO I have no idea who I would bet on.. both bears are quite ferocious... I would hope to only see a fight on video rather than in person, that's for sure!
ReplyDeleteBut it brings to mind another animal that is expanding it's horizon - the cougar. Where I live, at least one cougar is calling it home. I have been here since 1985 and never ever heard of a cougar sighting,,, but there he is, wandering around in one of our city parks. But then I read that a UofA study has been going on in the Cypress Hills to the south - cougars all around! And breeding like crazy! I grew up there, moving there in 1980 and the only cats I saw were house or bobcats and lynx. Cougars were not the norm, but they have been calling it home for a few years now. My first reaction was 'oh great, someone is going to blame Global Warming for this', but I suspect the cougar populations of the mountains have caused some to range out and start little family groups of their own along the way. Apparently they used to be seen there decades ago and are now returning. They are being seen more and more in Calgary, Edmonton, and now over into Saskatchewan as well.
Polar bears and grizzly bears make LOVE not WAR:
ReplyDeletehttp://eyeonthearctic.psrci.net/en/news/canada/44-environment/175-bear-shot-in-nwt-was-grizzly-polar-hybrid
Grizzly Bear would win, also polar bears dont average 300lbs more then grizzlys. Here are the averages for the 2 animals. Grizzly male averages 700lbs, grizzly female averages 370-420lbs. Polar Bear male averages about the same as a grizzly and polar bear female averages 350-400lbs because of global warming. Without global warming polar bears would be a little larger on average but still not overall. But the largest and strongest bear/land carnivore is the Kodiak bear/Alaskan brown bear males averaging 800-1200lbs and females 500-630lbs. World record weights at 17821/2lbs, 2250lbs and the largest weight 2500lbs making it the largest most powerful land carnivore today.
ReplyDeleteThere’s one major error in your hypothesis; Polar bears are migratory! This means that they are NOT typically territorial.
ReplyDeleteThere has been a few documented confrontations between grizzly and polar bear, and in those cases the polar bear has retreated, - quickly. This because it’s in the polar bears nature to avoid other bears at pretty much any cost. Just think about it; - in their environment it is much better to use that energy to hunt for food, rather than to expend precious energy and risk lethal injuries in a fight against another large animal.
As CanadianSense also pointed; I think the only real chance off a battle between these two species would be if a grizzly tried going after the cubs of a polar bear mom, and in such case I’m sure the grizzly will soon find that it has made a HUGE mistake.....!!
In the long run though however, if these species keep sharing habitat, I think the result might be more and more interbreeding, until a new race evolves (And as the habitat of polar bears is quickly diminishing anyway this might be a good thing - the polar bears wont die out, they just evolve and become more adapted to a forest habitat....)