this post was submitted on 08 Aug 2024
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Science Memes

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On Bears (mander.xyz)
submitted 3 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 months ago (4 children)

So are polar bears considered more dangerous and aggro than grizzlies? I mean it wouldn’t be too crazy, particularly since it’s probably rare to encounter one, compare to grizzlies. But just had never really heard that.

[–] [email protected] 33 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Polar bears, because of their location, see everything as food. Black bears and grizzlies, while omnivores, are more specific.

And I feel like I have to say this to counter this weird perception online: black bears and grizzlies do not hunt humans. They generally don't like humans and will stay away. But carry bear spray.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Polar bears don't find food as readily as Grizzly bears. If a Grizzly hesitates on a salmon, it'll find another salmon.

If a Polar hesitates on a penguin, it could starve.

[–] [email protected] 38 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Your point is correct, but for accuracy’s sake penguins live in the Antarctic and polar bears live in the Arctic.

[–] [email protected] 42 points 3 months ago

So it’s really unlikely they’ll get a second one in time

[–] [email protected] 22 points 3 months ago

That'd make penguin an exotic delicacy,

[–] [email protected] 13 points 3 months ago (3 children)

Gotcha so the idea is they’re just gonna give it a shot and try to eat you, regardless, because the stakes, they are high?

To be fair, in a moral sense, they should absolutely try and eat every human they can get their claws on; we have done a bang up job on making their habitat and food sources disappear.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Their habitat has also shrunk so much, and their population dwindled so much, that they have gotten fairly inbred and that is causing more aggression and insanity.

There is also a female polar that keeps breeding with grizzlies, and those offspring are consistently more aggressive and dangerous.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 months ago

Inbreeding causing aggression.

Cross-breeding causing aggression.

Dammit biology

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago

There is also a female polar that keeps breeding with grizzlies

what do those look like? light brown but still big af?

[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 months ago

because the stakes, they are high?

I also heard it's because a typical polar bear has never encountered anything that moves that isn't food.

So they don't have any mental category for "moving things on the ice I should flee from" or even "moving things on the ice that isn't totally delicious".

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago

because the stakes, they are high?

I guess it depends on how much you smoked that day.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago

Brown bears and black bears see you as a potential threat.

Polar bears see you as food.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago

Polar bears will most likely hunt you, even if they don't immediately attack. They are terrifyingly good at it.