Fun Kodiak Bear Facts For Kids

The Kodiak bear (Ursus arctos middendorffi) can generally be spotted in the Kodiak Archipelago island present in Southern Alaska, USA. They are found in the northern regions from the Barren Islands to the southern region of the Semidi Islands. Kodiak Island is the second-largest one in the USA. The Ursus arctos is the species our Kodiak bears belong to. Kodiak Bears is one of the subspecies of the nurses acrtos, the other being the Grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis).

One of the peculiar habits that our Kodiak bear has is hibernation. They begin hibernating in late October. Males are the last to go to dens, after the pregnant sows. In January and February, the cubs are born in the den. Around May and June, bears emerge from their dens along with their young ones.  Males usually emerge from their den in early April, while sows with their new cubs can remain in their dens until late June. Their steady diet consists of both vegetables and meat like berries, grass, salmon, and other fishes, depending on the season.

Read on to know more interesting facts about the Kodiak bear. If you like reading about the Kodiak you would also love our articles on sun bear and Asiatic black bear facts.

What type of animal is a Kodiak Bear?

The Kodiak bear (Ursus arctos middendorffi) is a type of bear.

What class of animal does a Kodiak Bear belong to?

Kodiak bears belong to the class of Mammalia.

How many Kodiak Bears are there in the world?

According to reports, there are around 3,500 Kodiak bears in the world and their numbers are slowly increasing at a steady rate.

Where does a Kodiak Bear live?

Kodiak bears prefer the mountain woodlands in their island, situated in the subpolar region, the archipelago.

What is a Kodiak Bear's habitat?

Kodiaks are found in a region that is just below the Arctic Circle which leads to sub-polar climates, in the archipelago. Their island is also near to the sea giving them access to all kinds of food sources. Apart from this, the island offers a wide variety of habitats like icy mountains, dense forests, hills, lakes, flat tundra, and streams, giving the Kodiak a huge number of places to choose from.

Who do Kodiak Bears live with?

Although the Kodiak bear is a solitary animal, they are often found in large groups. For the first three years, the cubs stay with their mothers. Bears live together in dens during their hibernation periods, which start around late October. Males are the last to go to dens, after the pregnant sows. Males emerge from their den in early April, while sows with their new cubs can remain in their dens until late June. Some males spend the entire winter awake by forgoing denning.

How long does a Kodiak Bear live?

Kodiak bears have an average lifespan of about 20-25 years and tend to stay alive longer in captivity. The oldest known male was 27 years old and the oldest known female Kodiak was 34 years old. However, during the initial three years of their life, 25% of the Kodiak cubs die due to cannibalism by the adult male.

How do they reproduce?

Young bears attain sexual maturity around the age of five and reach adult size around the age of six. By the time they have their first litter of cubs, most sows are about nine years old. The mating season takes place in the early summer, typically in May and June. Kodiak bears are classified as 'serially monogamous'. The term 'serially monogamous' means they have only one partner at a time but have several partners during the year.

A breeding pair can spend several days or weeks together during the mating season, resulting in copulation. Cubs are born usually in January or February, after a gestation period of eight months. This gestation period takes place during the sow's winter hibernation. The average litter size is between two to three cubs. The cubs often weigh between 15-20 lb (6.8-9.1 kg) at birth and rely on their mother, the females, to feed them.

What is their conservation status?

The IUCN or the International Union for Conservation of Nature has classified the grizzly bear, including the Kodiak subspecies, as Least Concern. However, since there is no distinction between subspecies, the extent to which the Kodiak bear is endangered remains unclear. There are approximately 3,500 bears in its range, or about 700 bears per 1000 square miles, with populations appearing to be on the rise. They have some natural predators, but many young bears are killed by other members of their genus before or shortly after reaching adulthood. Kodiaks have been killed by hunters for centuries, but only recently the huntings have decreased.

What do Kodiak Bears look like?

The brown bear subspecies, the Kodiak brown bear, is one of the largest in the land and is often compared to the polar bear. Males weigh between 1058-1179 lb (480-535 kg) while females weigh between 496-694 lb (225-315 kg). Males have an average shoulder height of 245 cm and go up to 10 ft on their hind legs. The pelage varies in color from blonde to brownish orange typically in females and bears in the archipelago 's south, vary from blonde to dark brown. A white ring around the neck of a cub is normal and it can last for up to a year.

How cute are they?

Kodiak bears are not considered cute because of their aggressive, massive appearance. These bears with their 10 ft tall furry bodies look very intimidating to humans.

How do they communicate?

The Kodiak bears can produce only a small range of sounds and lack the muscles needed for facial expressions. They communicate with each other through posturing, attitude, and vocalization. A sow may communicate with her cubs by woofing or popping. While many of their vocalizations can sound similar to humans, bears seem to be capable of distinguishing between them. Bears sometimes growl at each other when fishing and sows growl at their cubs to reprimand them. A sad or an angry bear usually makes a grunt or a woofing sound.

How big is a Kodiak Bear?

The Kodiak brown bear is a huge animal with a height of about 10 ft while standing on its hind legs which is larger than the other bear species like the grizzlies who have a height of about 8 ft.

How fast can a Kodiak Bear move?

This brown bear subspecies is a little slow but if they are in a hurry they can have a speed of 25-40 mph (38.6-64.3 kph).

How much does a Kodiak Bear weigh?

Kodiak bears are one of the largest bears in the world. In terms of Kodiak bear vs polar bear, the polar bears will win being slightly bigger than these bears. The males or the boars weigh almost 1500 lb (680 kg) while the females or sows are 30 % lighter than males. The cubs weigh less than a pound after birth but weigh about 15-20 lb (6.8-9 kg) after emerging in May, June from their den. Their increase in weight occurs due to suckling for several months in caves during hibernation.

What are their male and female names of the species?

The Kodiak males are known as boars and the Kodiak females are known as sows.

What would you call a baby Kodiak Bear?

Baby Kodiak bears are known as cubs.

What do they eat?

Kodiak bears are omnivorous creatures. They eat both plants and meat, and even fishes and crustaceans, as their habitat offers good fishes like salmons. The Kodiak bear weight mainly increases due to their habit of using the most nutritious part of their food. They prefer eating the eggs, flesh, and brain of salmon, while the internal organs of land animals like cattle, elk, and deer are eaten first after they are killed. This species eats berries when the sugar is at its optimum level, i.e. when it is ripe, and forbs and grass are eaten when they are growing in summer and spring.

Are they dangerous?

Kodiak bears are docile but can be aggressive and dangerous at times. They generally do not harm humans unless they have been startled in any way and this happens mainly with hunters. This species has killed only one person in the last 90 years.

Would they make a good pet?

Bears in general do not make good pets. The same applies to Kodiak bears because they are not domestic creatures. They are used to staying in the wild with their kind, in their habitat.

Did you know...

Due to their living range, Kodiak bears have been separated from other brown bears for the last 1200 years.

Is a Kodiak bear bigger than a grizzly?

If you put a Kodiak bear vs grizzly bear in terms of weight, the subspecies Kodiak will win due to its massive size. Kodiak bears are one of the biggest bears in existence and are also bigger than grizzly bears as well. Although both of them reach huge proportions due to their habitats, a grizzly is smaller than a Kodiak weighing only 1150 lb (521 kg) while the Kodiak weighs around 1500 lb (680 kg). While a grizzly has a height of about 8 ft (2.4 m) while standing on their hind legs, the Kodiak bears tower over them at a height of 10 ft (3 m).

What is the largest Kodiak bear on record?

The largest male of the Kodiak species weighed 1656 lb or 751 kg.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other mammals including North American black bear, or giant panda.

You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our grizzly bear paw print coloring pages.