Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia, Canada, is one of the most distinctive and biologically diverse places on the planet. This pristine temperate forest on the British Columbia’s Pacific Coast is teeming with life. It’s also home to a vast variety of both flora and fauna. But what really makes this place famous is the wildlife, the megafauna found both in the sea and on land.
Some of the rarest and most renowned animals on Earth can find refuge in Great Bear Rainforest. Spirit bears (rarely white-coated), black bears, grizzly bears, coastal wolves, killer whales, humpback whales, and a variety of other wildlife can all be found in this spectacular region of the world.
In this article, we’ll look closely at some incredible wildlife that lives in the Great Bear Rainforest:
Spirit Bears
Great Bear Rainforest is the only place where Spirit Bears, a subspecies of the black bear, can be found. They earn their name because they are frequently all-white or cream in hue. There may only be 500 of these bears left in the wild, which makes them exceedingly rare. In British Columbia, it is prohibited by law to hunt spirit bears.
A spirit bear typically weighs between 0.5 and 1 pound at birth and between 150 and 300 pounds at maturity. Their body length is usually measured at 4-6 feet from nose to tail. These bears are about 2.5 to 3 feet tall at the shoulder. Except for females who are pregnant, spirit bears are mostly solitary creatures. Male spirit bears have large home ranges that cross over with the smaller ranges of numerous other bears.
Indigenous mythology places a lot of emphasis on the spirit bear, which is revered as a sacred animal. The Coastal First Nations of the Great Bear Rainforest have lived in peace with these beautiful animals for many years. They respect their strength and know how important they are to the forest’s survival.
Black Bears
Photo credit: Anne McKinnell
In the Great Bear Rainforest, black bears are the most prevalent species. Despite occasionally having a reddish tint to their fur, they are normally black. In comparison to other bear species, black bears are smaller and are not aggressive unless challenged.
When fully grown, these bears weigh 115–270 kg and measure about 150–180 cm from nose to tail. They can run at a speed of roughly 45 km/h and are fairly nimble. Black bears eat berries and plants, but sometimes they will also eat small mammals, fish, and bugs.
Black bears enter a sluggish sleep stage rather than totally hibernating. They start storing fat as winter approaches. From October through May, they sleep for about 125 days. Both the body’s temperature and metabolic rate drop from 38 °C to 31–34 °C. At this stage, they also breathe more slowly.
Black bears don’t eat, drink, or urinate during this time. Usually, they make their dens in caverns, thickets, or hollow trees. Females typically give birth while they are sleeping throughout the winter, and their cubs stay with them for 16 to 17 months.
Grizzly Bears
The largest bear species in the Great Bear Rainforest are grizzly bears. They typically have a pronounced hump on their shoulders and are brown or blonde in colour. The big muscles in their front legs are what give them their hump. Grizzly bears may seem heavier than they are due to their body type and thick coat of hair.
Male bears can grow to be as big as 500 kilogrammes, whereas female bears normally weigh between 100 and 150 kilogrammes. When on their hind legs, they may reach heights of up to 8 feet. Although grizzly bears are solitary creatures, they occasionally gather in places where there is an abundance of food. Coastal grizzlies eat migratory salmon, sedge grass, and different sources of protein from animals, depending on the time of year.
Canadian grizzly bears hibernate for 5 to 8 months each year. On slopes that face north, they often build a den to get enough snow accumulation. Expectant mothers give birth to 1–3 cubs inside the den. For the first 2 to 3 years of cubs’ lives, they stay with their moms until they are big enough to survive on their own.
Grizzly bears do not eat, drink, or defecate while they are hibernating. Their heart rate decreases from 40 to only 8 beats per minute. As a result, they may conserve energy and rely only on their fat reserves to get them through the winter. Grizzly bears are generally quite hungry when they first leave their dens, and they will consume anything they can find.
Coastal Wolves
A subspecies of gray wolves known as coastal wolves can be found near the Great Bear Rainforest’s coastline. Coastal wolves are way smaller and often have darker coats than other gray wolves. They typically weigh between 75 and 80 pounds and are very nimble. Coastal wolves are able to travel 7.5 miles by swimming between islands and the mainland.
These wolves are skilled swimmers and frequently go fishing to find food. Salmon make up the majority of their diet, but they have also been observed eating clams, otters, whales, barnacles, and seal carcasses. Coastal wolves leverage the power of their swimming ability when hunting in the ocean by using tides and currents to their advantage. On land, they often hunt in packs, chasing their prey with speed and agility. Coastal wolves are an essential component of the ecosystem in order to maintain the balance of marine life. These wolves are extremely gregarious creatures and can live in packs of up to 30.
Humpback Whales
Humpback whales are commonly spotted in the waters near the Great Bear Rainforest. The name comes from their distinctive rear hump. These whales can grow to 40 tons and be 6 feet long. The largest width of a humpback whale’s tail is 18 feet. They are renowned for their remarkable breaching activity, in which they leap out of the water and twist their bodies.
A humpback whale can live up to 80-90 years. Their migrations are among the longest of any mammal, covering up to 8,000 kilometers of water between breeding and feeding areas. These whales consume a lot of food every day—up to 300 pounds. Their primary sources of food are small fish and shrimp. You can hear a male humpback whale singing up to 32 kilometers away.
That was a look at the iconic wildlife at Great Bear Rainforest. We hope that you’ve learned more about each of them and get a chance to see them in person one day.
If you are interested in visiting this rainforest in British Columbia, check out The Complete Travel Guide to Great Bear Rainforest to help plan your trip.
