How the hell can grizzly bears run so fast?

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Oh come on! :confused:
I thought it was a monkeys and apes kind of deal.
I don't like finding sources but I might have try this time.
I'm sure I've read it numerous times reading up on dog history.
As far as I'm concerned, bears and dogs share a common ancestor that nothing else shares. Thats pretty closely related if its true.
I'm off to find a source!
 
Common ancestor was Miacis - about 50 million years ago. But I'm not sure that they are all that closely linked on the evolutionary tree. I cannot find a timeline.

:m: Peace.
 
Now the 25 mph elephant is what should scare you should you try to attack one and run away!
 
Bears are not weasels

Bears, weasels, and canines are all members of the order Carnivora, an entire large related group of mammals adapted for eating meat. But they are all in different families within that order. They are no more closely related to each other than they are to the other families in that order, such as felines and hyenas.

(All right, some zoologist is going to jump in and talk about sub-orders. I think bears are slightly more closely related to weasels than they are to dogs and cats. But otters and skunks are closer kin to weasels than bears are, if I'm not mistaken.)
 
Dr. Lou don't feel badly about thinking bears are faster than horses. I remember going trail riding with my aunt in the Colorado Rockies, she told me that if we saw a bear not to try to run from it, that the bear would outrun the horses.( This is a woman who ran a guide service in AK for 15 years.)A horse is usually carring a 100+ lb person and most horses aren't as fast as racehorses.
I also read recently that bears don't lose muscle when they hibernate. People, if they sit around awhile become flabby as their muscle is converted into fat; bears could spend all winter hibernating and then come out and run a triathalon if they wanted to.
 
Originally posted by Dr Lou Natic
Hyenas are cool, they get a bad rap from assholes:(

Thanks for those speeds goof, this thread was a huge waste of time then, seems I was misinformed.
Am I the only one that has heard it said many times that grizzlies are faster than racehorses?
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No, I have heard it to. Exaggerations I guess. For instance, I think I heard they can be as fast as horses and as time goes on it turns into "faster then horses". It's probably easier to make more out of there speed because it doesn't look like they should be fast at all. Let's just say those dudes are seriously fast for their size

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Either that or they're magical
 
I also read recently that bears don't lose muscle when they hibernate. People, if they sit around awhile become flabby as their muscle is converted into fat; bears could spend all winter hibernating and then come out and run a triathalon if they wanted to.
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Bullshit. Real muscle is never converted to fat.

Some bodybuilders, offseason, loose shape because their muscle fibres aren't alway true muscle, but they never loose the muscle.
 
Don't Forget the angles

Remember that speed is not even the most important factor when it comes to effective predation, and while old griz is not a specialist there is no question that they often make meals of speedy prey. Think about it this way. How does that big beefy linebacker take down that blindingly fast wide receiver?
It's all in the angles. You don't have to be faster than your prey you just have to be better at reading the angles.
 
I live in the land of the grizzly bear and it is well known that they are as fast or faster than the average saddle horse for at least a quarter mile.

Black bears are smaller and up to 5 MPH faster.

No need to take my word and that of experienced people though......you can visit the north and sprint against one if you so choose. :D

Despite their impressive size, grizzlies are quite fast and have been clocked at 30 miles (48 kilometers) an hour. They can be dangerous to humans, particularly if surprised or if humans come between a mother and her cubs.
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http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/grizzly-bear/
 
Dr Lou Natic said:
Am I the only one that has heard it said many times that grizzlies are faster than racehorses?
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I don't believe the Britannica. A quick internet search says the grizzlies are just slightly slower than horses, 40 mph vs. 43 mph.

http://www.speedofanimals.com/animals/grizzly_bear

I also heard that they can outrun a horse so 30 mph sound too slow for a grizzly. Also, they are smaller than 1600 lbs:

"Most female grizzlies weigh 150–350 kilograms (330–770 lb), while males weigh on average 230–450 kilograms (510–990 lb)."

Watch this, they don't look heavy set at all:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ubM9ZTcLsE&feature=related

Grizzly chasing sheep and catching it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgPUhWQxkZk&feature=related

Killing a buffalo calf, the narrator says 35 mph:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUkB_yKvBHQ&feature=related
 
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I remember seeing a nat geo documentary film, an aerial clip of a grizzly bear running down an elk.

Run...run...swat...elk meat.

Grizzlies are fast due to stride width, leg length, lung capacity, and sheer cussedness.:eek:

First Nations saying:
-"Sometimes you eat the bear, sometimes the bear eats you."

BTW, I believe raccoons are related to bears.
 
Just an old picture, stated to be taken near Caroline, Alberta in 1949.

Here is a photo of George Bugbee, the fellow with the rifle, and Ron Lyle, both from Caroline area. This is believed to be an Alaskan Brown bear, that made its way south to the Limestone Mtn. area west of Caroline. The bear attacked the pack train and Bugbee go one shot off, that clipped a front tooth and entered the brain, killing the bear.
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2s9alow.jpg
 
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