How Big is this Bear?

[Waumbek]

My driveway has more animals on it than cars. I've seen moose, deer, bobcats, and lots of other mammals pass by the house on what they apparently consider to be a herd path (OK by me). I've thought about paving the driveway against spring mud season, but somehow that seems too suburban, and the mud makes for great tracking.

This morning I found these bear tracks. First, what I believe to be the leading (front) right paw. The silver disc is a quarter I dropped. (Crossing my fingers that I have coded the inline image correctly--let me know if not.)



Next, the trailing (rear) right paw:



Last, the two in sequence, with inverted rear track evident:



I've seen a yearling around here, but the track size of this bear--5" across--makes me think that this is not the yearling. Is it big enough to be the mother?

 

[sardog1]

I think that might be one that the yearling and his mom might try to avoid (unless she's feeling particulary amorous.) EDIT: I meant to add a caution -- track size can be exagerrated in mud and snow.

Very few females have a front track width wider than 4.5 inches. See page 4 of this bear hunting pamphlet from Utah.

Another clue that it's a big bold boy at hand is the story you can read in the tracks. If you can find enough tracks, ask yourself, "Is this bear walking confidently, as though it had little to think about other than stuffing its face? Or is it pausing to watch its back trail, and slinking off for cover now and then?" If it's the former, there's a reason it feels confident about its physical abilities.

Yet one more clue can be evidence left on trees as markers for the other bears in the vicinity. Big boys leave high marks sometimes.

 

[nartreb]

Based on two minutes of online research, I'll say it's big enough to be an adult; not really huge, so possibly female, but I think it's too big for a yearling.

Note that "width" should be measured across the pad, not the whole print. My estimate is that these are about 4.5" by that measure, so could be a large female.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

FWIW, I used GIMP to measure your quarter (101 pixels) and your bear paw (455 pixels across the widest part of the pad), giving a ratio of 4.5 to 1. Since a quarter itself is 0.955 inches, the width of the paw across the widest part of the pad would be 4.3".

Tim

 

[Waumbek]

FWIW, I used GIMP to measure your quarter (101 pixels) and your bear paw (455 pixels across the widest part of the pad), giving a ratio of 4.5 to 1. Since a quarter itself is 0.955 inches, the width of the paw across the widest part of the pad would be 4.3".

Tim

Thank you! Fiendishly clever. So it could be momma after all? When I get home I'll see if the track is still intact and measure with a ruler.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

Here's the image with the measurement lines. As you can see, I went to the extreme edge of the impression so we can probably say the paw is no bigger than 4.3 inches. Then again, due to the angle, the quarter is not "round" when measured in this manner either, but I did measure it at the same angle as the paw print on purpose.



Tim

 

[una_dogger]

Here's the image with the measurement lines. As you can see, I went to the extreme edge of the impression so we can probably say the paw is no bigger than 4.3 inches. Then again, due to the angle, the quarter is not "round" when measured in this manner either, but I did measure it at the same angle as the paw print on purpose.



Tim

He's sooo smah-t. Our own resident geek. Very ingenious!

That's so cool that you saw sign of bear...I was thinking when we were out hiking sunday that they must be stirring.

 

[Waumbek]

I went out to measure the front bear print the other day but time, tide, taxes, and traffic wait for no one. There's a tire track over the bear print now. I can give you the measurement of the tire if you can tell me whose car it is, Tim....Next time I'll get bear pad width immediately.

 

[The Hikers]

I love Science. Ant idea how many pixels in a cubit?

 

[sardog1]

1 cubit = 45.72 cm = 1728 pixels. But I don't recommend using pixels to measure your pyramid blocks.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

1 cubit = 45.72 cm = 1728 pixels.

1 cubit = 18 inches = 1728 pixels at 96 DPI

Tim

 

[Tom Rankin]

He's sooo smah-t. Our own resident geek. Very ingenious!

That's so cool that you saw sign of bear...I was thinking when we were out hiking sunday that they must be stirring.

Slow day at work Tim?

 

[TCD]

We're all trying to impress the girl...

Is that a regular cubit or a royal cubit?

 

[bikehikeskifish]

We're all trying to impress the girl...

Is that a regular cubit or a royal cubit?

There's fella by the name of Noah
Built an ark
Everybody knows he built an ark.
You see
What Noah do? Well he built an ark
But very few people know about
The conversation that went on between the Lord and Noah
You see Noah was in his rec. room
Sewing away, he was making a few things for the home there.
He was a good carpenter

Whoompa, whoompa, whoompa, whoompa
Noah!
Somebody call?
Whoompa, whoompa, whoompa
Noah!
Who is that?
It's the Lord, Noah
Right!

Where are ja?
What you want? I've been good.
I want you to build an Ark
Right!
Whats an Ark?
Get some wood build it
300 cubits by 80 cubits by 40 cubits
Right!
Whats a cubit?
Lets see a cubit...I used to know what a cubit was

Thanks for the memories, Coz!

Tim