Okay, so today’s Wild Fact was inspired by my mother, who incidentally was trying to get me riled up. People close to me, probably know my feelings toward a certain legislation that was put into effect for the protection of the White Moose in Northern Ontario. While they are beautiful, they are really no different then a regular moose (other than the colour, of course). I suppose the same can be said about the Kermode Bear, which is a white version of the Black Bear. Interestingly enough, this bear, which is better known as the Spirit Bear, is considered to be a sub-species of the Black Bear. Since they have their own classification, they will now become one of the 1000 Animal Facts.
As I mentioned, the Spirit Bear is actually a white Black Bear. Okay, I will admit that sounds funny and incredibly contradictory but it is the truth. They are not albino and as such don’t have the pink eyes that is normally associated with albino animals. Nope, the colour of their fur is a result of two recessive genes being expressed. It is really no different then humans have blue eyes or red hair….it is just genetics. Nonetheless, this shouldn’t take away from the beauty of this bear since they are absolutely breathtaking, but in my opinion, so are regular ol’ Black Bears.
It is believed that 1 out of 10 Black Bears carry this recessive “white-coat” gene, so in theory, they should be able to exist anywhere that Black Bears live. Interestingly enough, the main population of Kermode Bears can be found on the islands off the coast of British Columbia, Canada in a temperate rainforest appropriately named the Great Bear Rainforest. The population of Spirit Bears is most likely greatest in this area as a result of conservation efforts of the First Nation tribes. These groups valued the Kermode Bear and as such didn’t hunt or trap this beautiful creature. As a result it is believed that the population of the Spirit Bear is between 400-1000 individuals in this area. How is that for proof that animal conservation can truly help a species (or sub-species) survive.
Kermode Bear Fast Facts – Scientists have found that the Spirit Bear is about 30% more effective at catching fish during the day than the black-coloured Black Bear. Why? Apparently, the Kermode Bear is less visible from the fishes position. During the night, the success rate between the black-coloured Black Bear and the white-coloured Black Bear even up. This also contributes to the success of the Spirit Bear population. Perhaps we are witnessing evolution and slightly skewing it by protecting the white-coloured version over the black-coloured version.
Well, that does it for today’s Wild Fact. I would like to stress that I am not against the protection offered to the Kermode Bear since they are a beautiful animal and have a long history of cultural significance. With that said, are we altering the evolutionary future of the Black Bear by offering more protection to one bear more than the other simply because it is white?
