From one of the largest land carnivores on Earth to a series of vicious human encounters,
this is what happens when grizzly bears attack.
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The
grizzly is a subspecies of brown bear that inhabits North America.
It has a heavily built skull, short, round ears and a pronounced shoulder hump.
The name “grizzly” is derived from its grizzled fur, which features golden and grey
tips of the hair.
Grizzlies vary in fur coloration from blond to nearly black, but are most often a variation
of brown.
Another interpretation of their name is seen as a derivation of the word “grisly”,
meaning gruesome or fear-inspiring.
The latter seems to ring true, when considering that the grizzly’s one of the largest land
carnivores on the planet.
Exceptionally massive individuals have been recorded at weights in excess of 1,500 pounds.
Grizzlies are also incredibly strong and have a number of natural weapons.
They won’t hesitate to tear through you if they’re surprised, feel threatened or
for the protection of their young.
Number 4 Stephan Miller In April 2008, Stephan Miller was filming
a promotional video at the Predators in Action facility, which was run by his cousin Randy.
The video was a staged wrestling match between Stephan and a 4-year old grizzly named Rocky.
Stephan had previously worked with bears and Rocky had been trained in wrestling humans,
but not by Stephan.
During the first shots, Rocky assumed the wrestling posture and attacked Stephan before
he’d got the chance to raise his arm in a defensive position.
Randy began hitting the bear with a cane to get him to stop, but, in doing so, may have
only increased his aggression.
Rocky bit Stephan on the neck just once, severing his jugular vein and carotid artery.
He died within minutes.
In the aftermath of the attack, Rocky wasn’t put down but was given hard restrictions on
working with humans.
Before we move on, answer this question.
What is a grizzly bear’s strongest sense?
Is It a.
Hearing b.
Touch c.
Sight d.
Smell Let us know what you think in the comments
section below and stay tuned to find out the right answer.
Brown bears enjoy the widest distribution of all bear species.
In North America, grizzlies living on the coast tend to be larger than those inland.
They’re mainly found in Alaska, western Canada and certain parts of the northwestern
United Sates, including Montana, Washington, Wyoming and Idaho.
Their range extends as far south as Grand Teton National Parks and Yellowstone.
For the most part, grizzlies live alone.
Their diet is omnivorous, meaning they eat both meat and plant material.
The largest gathering of grizzlies is the salmon run, in Alaska.
As the fish migrate upstream for the summer, the bears gather to catch their fill.
The rich fat content in salmon helps them bulk up for the winter hibernation.
Number 3 Tom Sommer Tom Sommer and a friend were hunting in Montana,
when they stumbled upon a grizzly bear feeding on a carcass.
Surprised, the bear followed its natural instinct and charged them.
Sommer failed to release the safety hatch on his bear spray and pulled out his gun.
The bear swatted the weapon out of his hand then started mauling him.
It bit him on the thigh, ran its claws through his wrists then took his head in its jaws.
Sommer said he could actually feel the bones in his skull crack as the bear was crunching
on his head.
Fortunately for the 57-year-old hunter, his friend managed to deploy the rest of his spray
can which chased away the beast.
Sommer survived his bone-crushing ordeal, but required over 90 stitches to close the
enormous gash in his head.
A large grizzly may measure up to 9 feet when
standing on its hind legs.
This is arguably one of the most terrifying displays in the animal kingdom, especially
when considering the wide array of natural weapons it owns.
Its thick fur and the layer of fat beneath it act as armor, while its musculature was
designed for power.
Grizzlies can take out bison or moose, creatures that outweigh them by several hundred pounds.
Their jaws can chew through bones while their canines may, in some cases, be longer than
a tiger’s.
They have five non-retractable claws on each paw that are up to 6 inches long.
A strong paw strike can break a person’s neck or sever major arteries.
A grizzly can reach up to 40 miles per hour, when running on all fours, surpassing the
fastest humans.
A grizzly bear attack can result in death or severe wounds.
These include major lacerations or fractures as well as infections, since the grizzly’s
mouth is full of potentially harmful bacteria.
Number 2 Timothy Treadwell and Amie Huguenard In the fall of 2003, Timothy Treadwell and
his girlfriend Amie Huguenard were visiting Katmai National Park, in Alaska.
They’d set up camp near a salmon stream, where the bears would come to feed in preparation
for hibernation.
Treadwell had been studying the behavior of grizzlies for 13 years.
He considered it his life’s calling and credited his relationship with the bears as
having helped his recovery from drugs and alcohol.
Food was scarce in the fall of 2003 and the grizzlies were more aggressive than usual.
When an air taxi arrived to pick up Treadwell and Huguenard, the couple weren’t at the
campsite.
Instead, a large male grizzly was protecting the surroundings.
Park rangers shot the aggressive grizzly and recovered the remains of Treadwell and Huguenard.
The woman had been partially eaten and buried in a mound of dirt and twigs, near the collapsed
tents.
Close to the campsite the park rangers found Treadwell’s partial spine, his disfigured
head as well as his left forearm and hand with a wristwatch still on it.
A necropsy of the bear the park rangers had shot down revealed clothes and human remains.
The camera, which the couple had been using to document the bears, was still on for six
minutes as the attack unfolded.
There was only an audio recording of Treadwell screaming “Come out here; I’m being killed
out here”, as well as his screams and cries as he was being mauled to death.
So, what is a grizzly’s strongest sense?
The right answer was d, smell.
The sense of smell owned by a grizzly is among the best in the animal kingdom.
They can detect potential food sources from up to 20 miles upwind.
Additionally, grizzlies use their acute sense of smell to keep track of their young, find
mates or stay away from competitors.
The risk should outweigh the reward when it comes to giant animals that can effortlessly
kill you.
In that sense, it’s always best to avoid any potential encounter with a grizzly.
This means steering clear of areas known for their presence.
Most attacks are the result of a person surprising the bear so, if you do decide to travel in
grizzly territory, make noise to let them know you’re there.
Never get in between a mother and her cubs.
Make sure to keep food properly stored away since, as previously mentioned, bears have
a phenomenal sense of smell.
Always carry bear spray as it might be even more effective than a gun.
In close range, a few bullets likely won’t stop a fully-grown grizzly.
Stand tall and don’t run away or turn your back.
If the bear charges you, lie on your stomach and play dead while keeping your hands clamped
over your neck.
Leave your backpack on as it might protect you from further injuries.
If fighting is the only option you have left, go for the eyes or the snout.
Number 1 Wes Perkins Wes Perkins case is shocking because, although
he survived the grizzly attack, his face was basically eaten off.
It happened in 2016, when Perkins and two other men were bear hunting on Alaska’s
Seward Peninsula.
The grizzly male charged Perkins and started mauling him.
The others managed to shoot and kill the beast but, by the time it died, the bear had ripped
Perkins’ face off.
A trained paramedic, he remained conscious the whole time.
After the attack was over, he had to remove pieces of his face out of his airway so that
he could breathe.
The extent of the mauling was horrifying but, against all odds, Perkins survived.
Pictures, taken right after the attack, show its incredible brutality.
Perkins had virtually no discernable facial features remaining.
The bear had torn off half of his tongue, his jaw, his nose and severely damaged one
of his eyes.
He would endure a long and painful road to recovery, which involved facial reconstruction
surgeries in excess of $1 million.
Thanks for watching!
Would you rather face an aggressive grizzly or get locked in a room filled with black
widow spiders?
Let us know in the comments section below!