One Yellowstone tour guide was in for a rare treat when he saw—and filmed—a female grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) with five cubs. Why is this so interesting? Grizzlies typically give birth to cubs in pairs, with most litters consisting of two cubs, though four cub litters aren't that uncommon. Spotting a family with five cubs is exceedingly rare, and has never before been seen at Yellowstone National Park.
“Five cubs in a litter are the most we have ever observed in the park, at least from 1959 to present—the period of the park's history we have good records for,” National Park Service spokeswoman Linda Veress told local news outlet Cowboy State Daily.
Tour guide Andrea Baratte knew he'd spotted something special and was happy that he'd filmed it, as he wasn't sure anyone would believe him otherwise. The video, taken from a safe distance, clearly shows the mother bear walking as five cubs fall in line behind her.
Nature photographer Stan Mills also got footage of the family in early June. According to his video, he was walking on a trail, and when he came down a small hill, he spotted them. His video shows the adult bear looking right at him while her cubs roll around playing.
According to research biologist Frank van Manen of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team, there have been some cases of five-cub litters in Alaska and even a case of a litter of six, but this hasn't happened in Yellowstone before.
“A litter of five cubs would be a first for grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem,” he shares.
Still, it's possible that this mama bear may have a blended family. That's because it's not uncommon for grizzlies to adopt cubs abandoned by their mothers. Van Manen notes that two females with cubs have been recently observed near one another. However, without genetic testing, it's impossible to know whether all five cubs are related.
Blended family or not, this mom will have her hands full for the next two years as she rears her cubs. And they'll also need a lot of good fortune on their side, as approximately 50% of grizzly bear cubs don't make it past their first year.
Yellowstone tour guide Andrea Baratte recently spotted a female grizzly bear with five cubs in the national park.
Grizzlies don't typically have litters of five, and this is the first time it's been observed in the park. It's unclear if they're all related or if some cubs were adopted.
h/t: [IFL Science]
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