Community Magazine September 2019

88 Community Magazine Grizzly bears looking for food are powerful enough to drive wolves away from their kills! SCAT! Exploring the Mysteries of the Animal Kingdom Torah In the Gemara Megillah (11a), Resh Lakish says: The lion roars, the bear growls, the wicked man rules over a poor nation. ( Mishlei 28:15) “The lion roars”... refers to Nevuchadnetzar… “The bear growls” refers to Achashveirosh, as it is written [in Daniel's dream, in reference to the kingdom of Persia] : …And afterward was an animal like a bear, and Rabbi Yosef taught that this refers to the Persians, who eat and drink like a bear… and have no rest like a bear. The Gemara explains that the bear represents Persia in terms of its huge and greedy appetite. Bears eat almost anything, including herbage, fish, rodents, and rotting animal flesh. So, too, the Persian Empire expanded tremendously; they continually fought and conquered, never satisfied with what they already had: They have no rest like a bear [which wanders constantly in search of The grizzly bear is a North American subspecies of the brown bear. Zoologists do not use the term grizzly bear; they call this animal the North American brown bear. But others certainly call it a grizzly bear. Why is it called by this name? Grizzly bears are very powerful and aggressive. In fact, they are the most dangerous species of bears in North America. Males generally weigh up to 800 pounds and tower at an intimidating height of up to eight feet when standing upright. A grizzly bear can kill a mountain lion with one blow, outrun a horse, and outswim an Olympian gold medalist. It will eat almost anything it can find or catch, from berries to an adult bison. After reading this brief but scary description of this creature, you probably understand why people might think that this bear got its name from the word “grisly,” which means “horrible or terrifying.” However, the first known written record of the species was recorded in 1790 by explorer Edward Umfreville. “Bears are three kinds: the black, the red, and the grizzle bear,” he wrote. Since “grizzle” means a mixture of dark and white hairs, Umfreville was referring to the silvery-gray tips on these bears’ brownish fur. And that is why it is named the grizzly bear — for its “grizzled,” or silvered, fur, not for its grisly habits! Is the Grizzly Bear Named for its Grisly and Terrifying Nature?