Dandelion Killer

North America's "largest terrestrial* carnivore," as brown/grizzly bears are sometimes hyped, munches on dandelions caught and mauled to death recently along the Alaska Highway.

Of course, brown/grizzly bears are not strictly carnivores. They are omnivores and when it comes to food, opportunists in every way. If high-protein foods are readily available - think salmon; ground squirrels; newborn deer fawns, moose or caribou calves - Ursus arctos is interested. They'll also tear into chicken coops and improperly stored trash. Depending upon the season, foods available, and where they live geographically, however, these big, toothy critters are more frequently observed grazing on sedges, digging roots, or gobbling berries.

*Some writers insert the word "terrestrial" to separate brown bears from polar bears. Indeed, polar bears spend much of their lives on Arctic sea ice and are, in fact, primarily carnivores. Polar bears can achieve weights in excess of 1,700 pounds while brown bears may top out at three quarters of a ton.

**Note the porcupine quill in this young bear’s left nostril. It’s effort to procure fresh protein no doubt proved more painful than satisfying.