http://www.lukehadley.com DVLH http://www.myspace.com/DVLH The Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) is a thickset arboreal marsupial herbivore native to Australia, and the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae. The Koala is found in coastal regions of eastern and southern Australia, from near Adelaide to the southern part of Cape York Peninsula. Populations also extend for considerable distances inland in regions with enough moisture to support suitable woodlands. The Koalas of South Australia were largely exterminated during the early part of the 20th century, but the state has since been repopulated with Victorian stock. The Koala is not found in Tasmania or Western Australia. The word koala comes from Dharuk gula. Although the vowel /u/ was originally written in the Latin alphabet as "oo" (in spellings such as coola or koolah), it was changed to "oa" probably due to an error.[3] The word is erroneously said to mean "doesn't drink".[3] Descriptive English names based on "bear" have also been inaccurately used , including 'monkey bear', 'native bear', 'tree-bear' and 'koala bear'.[3]
The scientific name of the koala's genus, Phascolarctos, is derived from Greek phaskolos "pouch" and arktos "bear". Its species name, cinereus, is Latin and means "ash-coloured".[4]
[edit] Variation
A Southern Koala on Kangaroo Island, not native to the islandAlthough three subspecies have been described, these are arbitrary selections from a cline and are not generally accepted as valid. Following Bergmann's Rule, southern individuals from the cooler climates are larger. A typical Victorian Koala (formerly P. cinereus victor) has longer, thicker fur, is a darker, softer grey, often with chocolate-brown highlights on the back and forearms, and has a more prominently light-coloured ventral side and fluffy white ear tufts. Typical and New South Wales Koala weights are 12 kg (26 lb) for males and 8.5 kg (19 lb) for females. In tropical and sub-tropical Queensland, however, the Koala is smaller (at around 6.5 kg (14 lb) for an average male and just over 5 kg (11 lb) for an average female), a lighter often rather scruffy grey in colour, and has shorter, thinner fur. In Queensland the Koala was previously classified as the subspecies P. cinereus adustus, and the intermediate forms in New South Wales as P. cinereus cinereus. The variation from one form to another is continuous and there are substantial differences between individual Koalas in any given region such as hair colour. The origins of the koala are unclear, although almost certainly they descended from terrestrial wombat-like animals. Koala fossils are quite rare, but some have been found in northern Australia dating to 20 million years ago. During this time, the northern half of Australia was rainforest. The Koala did not specialise in a diet of eucalypts until the climate cooled and eucalyptus forests grew in the place of rainforests. The fossil record indicates that before 50,000 years ago, Giant Koalas inhabited the southern regions of Australia. The Koala fills the same ecological role as the sloth of South America.
[edit] Physical description
Koalas have a slow metabolism and sleep for most of the day.The Koala is broadly similar in appearance to the wombat (their closest living relatives[1]), but has a thicker coat, much larger ears and longer limbs. The Koala has large, sharp claws to assist with climbing tree trunks. Weight varies from about 14 kg (31 lb) for a large southern male, to about 5 kg (11 lb) for a small northern female. Koala's five fingers are arranged with opposable thumbs, providing better gripping ability. The first two fingers are positioned in apposition on the front paws, and the first three fingers for the hind paws[5]. The Koala is one of the few mammals (other than primates) that has fingerprints. Koala fingerprints are similar to human fingerprints; even with an electron microscope, it can be quite difficult to distinguish between the two. [6]
The teeth of koalas are adapted to their herbivorous diet, and are similar to those of other diprotodont marsupials, such as kangaroos and wombats. They have sharp incisors to clip leaves at the front of the mouth, separated from the grinding cheek teeth by a wide diastema. The dental formula for koalas is:
Dentition
3.1.1.4
1.0.1.4
The male koala, like many marsupials, has a bifurcated penis and the female has a bifurcated vagina.[7]
The brain in the ancestors of the modern Koala once filled the whole cranial cavity, but has become drastically reduced in the present species, a degeneration scientists suspects is an adaptation to a diet low in energy[1]. One of the smallest in marsupials with no more than 0.2% of its body weight[2], about 40% of the cranial cavity is filled with cerebrospinal fluid, while the brain's two cerebral hemispheres are like "a pair of shrivelled walnut halves on top of the brain stem, in contact neither with each other nor the bones of the skull. It is the only animal on Earth with such a strangely reduced brain."[8]
It is generally a silent animal, but males have a very loud advertising call that can be heard from almost a kilometre away during the breeding season. When under stress, Koalas may issue a loud cry, which has been reported as similar to that of a human baby.[9] There is little reliable information about the lifespan of the Koala, but in captivity they have been observed to reach the age of 18 years.[5]
The inverted thumbs on the Koala's back feet help for grip while the koala changes branches or eats with its front hands.[citation needed]
[edit] Life cycle
Koala walking along a branch at Lone Pine Koala SanctuaryFemales reach maturity at 2 to 3 years of age, males at 3 to 4 years. If healthy, a female Koala can produce one young each year for about 12 years. Gestation is 35 days. Twins are very rare; the world's first confirmed identical twin koalas, named "Euca" and "Lyptus", were born at the University of Queensland in 1999.[10][11] Mating normally occurs between December and March, the Southern Hemisphere's summer.
A baby Koala is referred to as a joey and is hairless, blind, and earless. At birth the joey, only a quarter of an inch long, crawls into the downward-facing pouch on the mother's belly (which is closed by a drawstring-like muscle that the mother can tighten at will) and attaches itself to one of the two teats. Young remain hidden in the pouch for about six months, only feeding on milk. During this time they grow ears, eyes, and fur. The joey then begins to explore outside of the pouch. At about this stage it begins to consume small quantities of the mother’s "pap" (formerly thought to be excrement, but now thought to come from the mother's caecum) in order to inoculate its gut with the microbes necessary to digest eucalypt leaves.[12] The baby Koala will remain with the mother for another six months or so, riding on her back, and feeding on both milk and eucalypt leaves until weaning is complete at about 12 months of age. Young females disperse to nearby areas at that time; young males often stay in the mother's home range until they are two or three years old.
[edit] Ecology and behaviour
Koala eating eucalyptus leaves
A Koala eating eucalyptus leaves in the rain.
Koalas at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, QueenslandThe Koala lives almost entirely on eucalypt leaves. This is likely to be an evolutionary adaptation that takes advantage of an otherwise unfilled ecological niche, since eucalypt leaves are low in protein, high in indigestible substances, and contain phenolic and terpene compounds that are toxic to most species. Like wombats and sloths, the Koala has a very low metabolic rate for a mammal and rests motionless for about 18 to 20 hours a day, sleeping most of that time. Koalas that are disturbed are known to be violent, their teeth and claws capable of causing considerable injury to humans; special handling requirements are as such applicable.[13]
Handling of koalas has been a source of political contention due to these risks, which can also cause harm to the koala as well. [14]Koalas spend about three of their five active hours eating. Feeding occurs at any time of day, but usually at night. An average Koala eats 500 grams (18 oz) of eucalypt leaves each day, chewing them in its powerful jaws to a very fine paste before swallowing. The liver deactivates the toxic components ready for excretion, and the hind gut (especially the caecum) is greatly enlarged to extract the maximum amount of nutrient from the poor quality diet. Much of this is done through bacterial fermentation: when young are being weaned, the mother passes unusually soft faeces, called pap, which is rich in these bacteria, thus passing these essential digestive aids on to her offspring.
The Koala will eat the leaves of a wide range of eucalypts, and occasionally even some non-eucalypt species, but it has firm preferences for particular varieties. These preferences vary from one region to another: in the south Manna Gum, Blue Gum and Swamp Gum are favoured; Grey Gum and Tallowwood are important in the north, and the ubiquitous River Red Gum of the isolated seasonal swamps and watercourses that meander across the dry inland plains allows the Koala to exist in surprisingly arid areas. Many factors determine which of the 800 species of eucalypt trees the Koala eats. Among trees of their favourite species, however, the major factor that determines which individual trees the Koala chooses is the concentration of a group of phenolic toxins called formylated phloroglucinol compounds.
[edit] Conservation status
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The Koala was hunted almost to extinction in the early 20th century, largely for its fur. Millions of furs were traded to Europe and the USA, and the population has not recovered from such decimation. Extensive cullings occurred in Queensland in 1915, 1917 and again in 1919 when over one million Koalas were killed with guns, poison and nooses.[15] The public outcry over the cullings was most likely the first wide-scale environmental issue that rallied Australians.[15] Despite the growing movement to protect native species, the drought of 1926-28 lead to the another 600 000 Koalas being killed during a one-month open season in August 1927.[15]
Today, habitat loss and the impacts of irresponsible urbanisation (for example dog attacks and traffic accidents) are the leading threats to the survival of koalas. In recent years, some colonies have been hard hit by disease, especially chlamydia. The Koala requires large areas of healthy, connected forest and will travel long distances along tree corridors in search of new territory and mates. The increasing human population of the coastal parts of the continent continues to cut these corridors by agricultural and residential development, forestry and road-building, marooning Koala colonies in decreasing areas of bush. The long term viability of koalas is therefore threatened by genetic weakness. The Australian Koala Foundation has mapped 40,000 km˛ (15,000 sq mi). of land for Koala habitat and claims it has strong evidence to suggest wild Koala populations are in serious decline throughout the species natural range. Although the species covers a massive area, only 'pieces' of Koala habitat remain. These pieces need to be managed, protected and restored in a coordinated way. Presently, many are being lost to weeds, cleared for agriculture, or carved up by developers. Other threats come from logging, poor management, attacks from feral and domestic animals, disease and roads.
In contrast to the situation on much of the mainland, where populations are declining, the Koalas of many island and isolated populations have reached what some have described as "plague" proportions. On Kangaroo Island in South Australia, Koalas introduced some 90 years ago have thrived in the absence of predators and competition. Combined with an inability to migrate to new areas, this has caused the Koala populations to become unsustainable and threaten the Island's unique ecology. In particular, species of Manna Gum, native to the island, are being stripped by Koalas at a rate faster than they can regenerate, endangering local birds and invertebrates that rely on them, and causing the extinction of at least one isolated population of manna. Koala numbers are estimated at over 30,000, with ecologists suggesting that the Island can sustain 10,000 at most. Although culling has been suggested as a means to reduce Koala numbers, with the South Australian Government seriously considering such in 1996, this has met with fierce opposition both domestically and internationally, and the species remains protected. The popularity of the Koala has made the possibility of a cull politically improbable, with any negative perception likely to impact tourism and a government's electability. In place of a cull, sterilisation and translocation programmes have had only limited success in reducing numbers thus far, and remain expensive. There is evidence that Koalas relocated to the mainland have difficulty establishing themselves in the different circumstances. A mooted alternative to the complex sterilisation method, wherein the animal must first be captured, are hormonal implants that can be injected via darts.
The Koala inhabits four Australian states. Under state legislation, the species is listed as:
Queensland - Common, or "Least Concern Wildlife" throughout the state, except in the relatively small South East Queensland Bioregion, where it is listed as Vulnerable.[16]
New South Wales - listed at a state scale as vulnerable, but varying regionally from "secure" to "locally extinct".[17]
South Australia - classified as Rare.[18]
Victoria - The koala population in Victoria is considered "large and thriving".[19]
The US Government have declared the koala a threatened species, however the Australian Government has not. A review of the species national conservation status concluded that the koala are not threatened at a national scale, with a population that numbers in the hundreds of thousands.[20] This was the third review undertaken by the federal government that came to this conclusion. Other studies have estimated as few as 70 000 koalas left in the wild, and the Australian Koala Foundation estimates there are around 100,000. The IUCN lists the species as "Lower Risk / Near Threatened".[2]
As with most native Australian animals, the Koala cannot legally be kept as a pet in Australia without a permit[edit] Bears in Books
Blinky The Bear Who Wouldn't Hibernate by Helen L. Partridge
Harry, the Fat Bear Spy
Baloo from The Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
the Berenstain Bears
Brer Bear, from the Uncle Remus stories by Joel Chandler Harris
Paddington Bear
the Three Bears from Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne
Rupert Bear (also known as Rupert the Bear) from the children's books by Mary Tourtel (also became featured in comic strips and a TV series)
Corduroy by Don Freeman
Little Bear by Maurice Sendak
Crow of the Bear Clan, barbarian comic book bear
Old Bear, from the Old Bear series of books
Old Ben, around which revolve the events of William Faulkner's short story The Bear.
Shardik, the ursine protagonist of Richard Adams' novel of the same name
Shardik (Dark Tower), a 70 foot tall cyborg bear from Stephen King's The Waste Lands, named after the above
Iorek Byrnison, the armoured bear in Philip Pullman's trilogy His Dark Materials
Winkie, a bear from Clifford Chase's debut novel that is accused of terrorism.
'Hal Jam' a bear who passes himself off as a talented author in The Bear Went Over the Mountain, a novel by William Kotzwinkle.
Theadore Rosebear, Teddy Roosevelt's best friend in Edward Summer's novel Teefr and The Legend of Teddy Bear Bob (aka "Bear Bob's Story").
Henisz Teddy Bear who went on the Trip around the World.
Beorn, from The Hobbit, by J. R. R. Tolkien, was a man with the ability to transform into a bear
The Three Bulgy Bears in Prince Caspian
Teddy Robinson, from Joan G. Robinson's books Dear Teddy Robinson and More about Teddy Robinson.
Ursaline B. "Bear" Bruin, a Chevy Suburban-driving grizzly from the fantasy novel Collinsfort Village by Joe Ekaitis.
Bruin Bear, a small bear resembling a teddy bear found in Simon Green's Shadows Fall and the sixth Nightside Novel.
Mr T also appears as a teddy bear in many books repeatedly using the line " I pity the fool"
'Hal Jam' a bear adopts this name after stealing a novel buried under a tree, passing himself off as an author in 'The Bear Went Over the Mountain' by William Kotzwinkle.
Mr. Bultitude in C. S. Lewis' That Hideous Strength.
State o' Maine in John Irving's The Hotel New Hampshire.
[edit] Bears in Plays
The Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare famously includes the stage direction "Exit, pursued by a bear".
[edit] Animated Bears
Akakabuto in the anime Ginga: Nagareboshi Gin. His name means literally red helmet, because of the fur atop his head which is completely red.
Baloo, Kit Cloudkicker, Rebecca Cunningham and Molly Cunningham from TaleSpin
Barney Bear from the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer theatrical cartoons of the 1940s and 1950s.
Bears (several characters) in the Walt Disney Studios animated film Brother Bear
The Bear that Wasn't, from the cartoon of the same name. After waking up from his long winter's nap, the bear finds his home at the center of a construction project. All of the men their insist on his being, instead of a bear, a "silly man who needs a shave and wears a fur coat."
Bear, from Franklin
Bearmon, Grizzmon, Monzaemon, WaruMonzaemon and Pandamon from Digimon. Notice that also Etemon and MetalEtemon hold Monzaemon and Warumonzaemon's plush figures, respectively.
Blubber, Luke's racing partner in Hanna-Barbera's Wacky Races
Bobo, Mr Burns' treasured childhood teddy bear from The Simpsons' episode Rosebud
Bongo, the circus bear featured in the Disney film, Fun and Fancy Free
Boog, a domesticated Grizzly Bear in the CG film Open Season.
Brother Bear, title character from the 2003 Disney animated film
Boskov the bear in the animated series Evil con Carne
the Buddy Bears, recurring children's show bears on Garfield and Friends
Butterbear, the half-bear half-butterfly hybrid on The Wuzzles
the Care Bears
Chief Grizzly, the grizzly bear chief in Hoodwinked.
Curtis E. Bear, the Courtesy Bear. Appeared in The Simpsons episode Marge Simpson in: "Screaming Yellow Honkers" as a mascot at a road rage class.
Disabear, from Deko Boko Friends.
Eddy and the Bear
Gordon a bear bean scout in Camp Lazlo
the Gummi Bears from the popular Disney animated series.
"Bamse - the strongest bear in the whole world" is a Swedish comic book features several bear characters including Viktoria, Brum, Brumma, Brumellisa, Brummelufs, as well Bamse himself
Mr. Panda from Ranma 1/2, actually Ranma's father cursed to transform into a panda when expsoed to cold water.
Help! It's The Hair Bear Bunch: Hanna-Barbera
Humphrey Bear, a Walt Disney character appearing in 1950s shorts, usually harassing Donald Duck
Kissy Fur - Animated series in the United States from the 1980s about two run away circus bears that now live in the Bayou.
Little Bear
Pop and Cub, bears from Happy Tree Friends.
Little John was a bear in Disney's version of Robin Hood
Bear, from Harvey Birdman
SuperTed of the UK animated series of the same name, created by Mike Young.
Munchlax, Snorlax, Teddiursa, Spinda, Teddiursa and Ursaring from Pokémon.
The Three Bears, Looney Tunes characters
Unnamed sailor bear who catches the magic bed while fishing in Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Vincent, a grouchy black bear in the DreamWorks film, Over the Hedge.
Yogi Bear and his pal Boo Boo, created by Hanna-Barbera
Flippy, a bear from Happy Tree Friends.
Sebastian Star Bear and his sidekick Souki, from the 1991 movie "Sebastian Star Bear: The First Mission". The movie is about 90 minutes long and was created in the Netherlands. All images were drawn in China.
The Siberian Bear in the cartoon The World of David the Gnome
[edit] Bears in Comics and Cartoons
Traditionnal representation of a bear proposed to children for drawing.The many bears of Gary Larson's The Far Side cartoons
P. T. Bridgeport, the con-bear in Walt Kelly's Pogo
Cornelius Bear and Téodor Orezcu in Chris Onstad's Achewood webcomic.
Shako, the killer polar bear in the weekly UK anthology comic 2000AD.
The title character from the Danish comic Rasmus Klump
Benjamin, Howie, and multiple other teddy bears in The Secret World of Benjamin Bear
Thornton, a polar bear in Sherman's Lagoon
Biffo the Bear in the The Beano
Ralph, the "midget circus bear" in Frank Cho's Liberty Meadows
Bear, from the webcomic Bear and Kitten
[edit] Bears in Film
Archie in Dr. Dolittle 2
Adult male and cub from L' Ours
The relentless, man-eating bear in the 1997 film, The Edge played by Bart the Bear
Ling Ling the pregnant panda, in the film Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, as well as the den of kodiak bears from which the news team rescues Veronica Corningstone.
Oksana (named after Borat's wife) in Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan played by two bears, Chester and Charlie.
Teddy, a computer-animated animatronic (and highly intelligent) teddy bear in Steven Spielberg's Artificial Intelligence: A.I.
[edit] Puppet Bears
Baby Bear in Sesame Street
Bad Idea Bears from Avenue Q
Basil the Bear on Sesame Park
Bear, Ojo, and Ursa from Bear in the Big Blue House
Bobo the Bear from Muppets Tonight
Buttons the Bear from Puppets Who Kill
Fozzie Bear from The Muppet Show
Humphrey B. Bear
Sooty, Cousin Scampy and Soo (a panda bear)
[edit] Bears in Advertising
Smokey Bear, mascot of the U.S. Forest Service. He is also only semi-fictional, as he was based on a real orphaned bear cub also named Smokey.
the ICEE Polar Bear, an animated mascot for The ICEE Company, as seen on TV ads.
Peppy the Polar Bear from British Fox's Glacier Mint commercials
Talking polar bear from British Cresta soft drink commercials of the 1970s
Smokey BearPolar bears from international Coca-Cola commercials
Grizzly bears in ads for Charmin toilet paper
"There's a bear in the woods. . ." Presumably representing the Soviet Union, this bear appeared in Ronald Reagan's campaign advertising.
Snuggles, the fabric softener bear
Sugar Bear, mascot for General Foods Corporation's Post Sugar Crisp cereal
Charmin bears.
Sleepy Bear, the Travel Lodge Bear, mascot for Travel Lodge, as seen on TV ads.
[edit] Bears in Alcohol Advertising
the Hamm's Beer bear
the Labatt's Blue bear
Bundaberg Polar Bear used widely In Bundaberg Rum Ads in Australia.
George, the bear in the British Hofmeister Beer commercials of the 1980s. "For great lager, follow the bear".
Anderson Valley Brewing Company's mascot is a beer: part bear, part deer.
[edit] Bears in Poetry and Song
Fuzzy Wuzzy, an English nursery rhyme.
"Teddy Bear," a No. 1 hit in 1957 for Elvis Presley and one of the cornerstone songs of his career.
The picnicking bears in John Walter Bratton's lilting 1907 song, "Teddy Bears' Picnic." (Originally the "Teddy Bears' Two-Step.")
"Teddy Bear," the title character of a 1976 country No. 1 hit by Red Sovine. Teddy Bear was the CB handle for a young crippled, fatherless boy, who longed to ride along with truckers.
[edit] Bears on Television
Paddington Bear, the famous British bear
Bungle, from Rainbow
Bear, the title character from the Disney television program Bear in the Big Blue House
Bear from Word World
Buttons, the womanizing teddy bear on Puppets Who Kill
The Dancing Bear, on Captain Kangaroo
Gentle Ben, about a boy and his tame bear
Ben, grizzly bear companion to "Grizzly Adams"
Teddy, the loyal side-kick of Mr. Bean
Rupert Bear, a white bear starring in his own TV show, Rupert
[edit] Teddy Bears
For main article, see Teddy bear.
Microsoft BearU.S. president Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt refused to shoot a bear in Mississippi. That bear became the prototype for the Teddy bear, which is a stuffed animal toy.
Mister Woppit, mascot of Donald Campbell, breaker of speed-records killed on Lake Coniston in 1967.
Bear, the mascot of the Windows 3.1 (and later Windows 95) team
Teddy Ruxpin, the popular animatronic teddy bear from the 1980s.
Pooky, teddy bear from the comic strip Garfield.
Rupert, Stewie Griffin's teddy bear from Family Guy.
Winnie the Pooh, teddy bear of Christopher Robin Milne, son of A.A. Milne.
Corduroy, Don Freeman's classic teddy character
Smacky, Bucky Katt's miniature teddy bear in the comic strip Get Fuzzy
Aloysius, the teddy bear of Sebastian Flyte in Evelyn Waugh's novel Brideshead Revisited; the model for Aloysius was Archie, the teddy bear of John Betjeman, who appeared as himself in a children's book by Betjeman, Archie and the Strict Baptists.
Mabel, Elvis Presley's teddy bear.[1]
Teddy Edward, star of children's books and a BBC Television series.
[edit] Animatronic Bears
"Zeke and Zed and Ted and Fred, and a bear named Tennessee," the bears of the Country Bear Jamboree at Disney theme parks
Billy Bob and Beach Bear from the Showbiz Pizza restaurant house band, The Rock-afire Explosion.
[edit] Aesop's Fable: The Bear and the Two Travelers
In a fable by Aesop, two travelers are walking along when a bear jumps up, causing the first traveler to hop into a tree, and the second to lay on the ground, remembering that bears do not attack prey that is already dead. The bear sniffs the "dead" man, and goes away. The first traveler comes back, asking, "What did the Master Bruin do?" The second replies the moral of the story: "Giving me really good advice, Don't trust a friend who abandons you at the first sign of danger."
[edit] Miscellaneous
Banjo, the star of the Banjo-Kazooie series.
Cresent Grizzly — a maverick from Mega Man X5 who is designed like a grizzly bear.
Drop Bear, an urban mythical marsupial in Australia said to be similar to the Koala Bear.
Grizzly Bears and Polar Bears are aviable to adopt in Zoo Tycoon, both the original and sequel.
Gladly, the Cross-Eyed Bear, a mondegreen created from the misheard lyrics of a hymn (Gladly, the Cross I'd bear…). Used as the name of Baby Grumpling's teddy bear in British comic strip The Perishers, separately used as a character in The Friends of Fairwood Forest series, and separately in a novel by Evan Hunter.
Grizzly Slash/Crescent Grizzly, a Maverick from Mega Man X.
Kuma — a character from the Tekken fighting series.
Misha, the mascot of the 1980 Summer Olympic games
Nate Osworth is a bear that updates his blog on the popular MySpace community.
Tottles the Bear — a character in children's stories.
Ursa Major and Ursa Minor the two bear constellations, sometimes also referred to as the big dipper, or the drinking gourd.
Cuddly, a traveling blogger Teddy Bear from the UK [1]
Floydie Bear, a mischievous Teddy Bear who helps others [2]
D-bear, a notoriously dim-witted bear in Pickle comics (Taiwan)
Rupert, teddy bear belonging to Stewie Griffin, a character in Seth MacFarlane's "Family Guy"
Drunky the Bear, a character on the Monsters in the Morning radio show.
PostBear the Postman bear, a character from the story "Zack's fantasy", who is a postman.
Mary the Baby Bear, a lovable and bubbly little bear from the story "Zack's fantasy".
Bear, a playable character from TimeSplitters: Future Perfect.
Tequila Teddy and J.D. from their own message board,[3] and Teddy Bear Gumbo [4]
Bob T. Bear Esq. a spy Teddy Bear from the UK [5]
Pudgie and Gladstone from a blog of several Teddy Bears and plushes called Furry Thoughts for Fuzzy Times [6]
Mawson, an expert Teddy Bear from Australia, who helps teach bears about being a bear [7]
Spaulding and Teddy, Internet Savvy American Teddy Bears, with their own Web Den [8] and Teddy Bear Journal [9]
Henry Bear, CindaBella, and Jazmyn owner and staff at the Bearly Irish Pub message board [10]
Phytheas Bear, a small bear who travels with my adopter. [11]
Edmund (the explorer) Nesbitt, preparing for an expedition to the Arctic, to raise funds for the children's unit at St. Theresa's Hospice in Darlington. [12]
The Cinnamon Bear is Paddy O'Cinnamon from the hero of the 26-part Christmas radio series, THE CINNAMON BEAR, created in 1937 by the late Glanville T. (Glan) Heisch.
Klu the Bear, and I have my own bloghttp://www.lukehadley.com DVLH http://www.myspace.com/DVLH The Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) is a thickset arboreal marsupial herbivore nat...all »http://www.lukehadley.com DVLH http://www.myspace.com/DVLH The Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) is a thickset arboreal marsupial herbivore native to Australia, and the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae. The Koala is found in coastal regions of eastern and southern Australia, from near Adelaide to the southern part of Cape York Peninsula. Populations also extend for considerable distances inland in regions with enough moisture to support suitable woodlands. The Koalas of South Australia were largely exterminated during the early part of the 20th century, but the state has since been repopulated with Victorian stock. The Koala is not found in Tasmania or Western Australia. The word koala comes from Dharuk gula. Although the vowel /u/ was originally written in the Latin alphabet as "oo" (in spellings such as coola or koolah), it was changed to "oa" probably due to an error.[3] The word is erroneously said to mean "doesn't drink".[3] Descriptive English names based on "bear" have also been inaccurately used , including 'monkey bear', 'native bear', 'tree-bear' and 'koala bear'.[3]
The scientific name of the koala's genus, Phascolarctos, is derived from Greek phaskolos "pouch" and arktos "bear". Its species name, cinereus, is Latin and means "ash-coloured".[4]
[edit] Variation
A Southern Koala on Kangaroo Island, not native to the islandAlthough three subspecies have been described, these are arbitrary selections from a cline and are not generally accepted as valid. Following Bergmann's Rule, southern individuals from the cooler climates are larger. A typical Victorian Koala (formerly P. cinereus victor) has longer, thicker fur, is a darker, softer grey, often with chocolate-brown highlights on the back and forearms, and has a more prominently light-coloured ventral side and fluffy white ear tufts. Typical and New South Wales Koala weights are 12 kg (26 lb) for males and 8.5 kg (19 lb) for females. In tropical and sub-tropical Queensland, however, the Koala is smaller (at around 6.5 kg (14 lb) for an average male and just over 5 kg (11 lb) for an average female), a lighter often rather scruffy grey in colour, and has shorter, thinner fur. In Queensland the Koala was previously classified as the subspecies P. cinereus adustus, and the intermediate forms in New South Wales as P. cinereus cinereus. The variation from one form to another is continuous and there are substantial differences between individual Koalas in any given region such as hair colour. The origins of the koala are unclear, although almost certainly they descended from terrestrial wombat-like animals. Koala fossils are quite rare, but some have been found in northern Australia dating to 20 million years ago. During this time, the northern half of Australia was rainforest. The Koala did not specialise in a diet of eucalypts until the climate cooled and eucalyptus forests grew in the place of rainforests. The fossil record indicates that before 50,000 years ago, Giant Koalas inhabited the southern regions of Australia. The Koala fills the same ecological role as the sloth of South America.
[edit] Physical description
Koalas have a slow metabolism and sleep for most of the day.The Koala is broadly similar in appearance to the wombat (their closest living relatives[1]), but has a thicker coat, much larger ears and longer limbs. The Koala has large, sharp claws to assist with climbing tree trunks. Weight varies from about 14 kg (31 lb) for a large southern male, to about 5 kg (11 lb) for a small northern female. Koala's five fingers are arranged with opposable thumbs, providing better gripping ability. The first two fingers are positioned in apposition on the front paws, and the first three fingers for the hind paws[5]. The Koala is one of the few mammals (other than primates) that has fingerprints. Koala fingerprints are similar to human fingerprints; even with an electron microscope, it can be quite difficult to distinguish between the two. [6]
The teeth of koalas are adapted to their herbivorous diet, and are similar to those of other diprotodont marsupials, such as kangaroos and wombats. They have sharp incisors to clip leaves at the front of the mouth, separated from the grinding cheek teeth by a wide diastema. The dental formula for koalas is:
Dentition
3.1.1.4
1.0.1.4
The male koala, like many marsupials, has a bifurcated penis and the female has a bifurcated vagina.[7]
The brain in the ancestors of the modern Koala once filled the whole cranial cavity, but has become drastically reduced in the present species, a degeneration scientists suspects is an adaptation to a diet low in energy[1]. One of the smallest in marsupials with no more than 0.2% of its body weight[2], about 40% of the cranial cavity is filled with cerebrospinal fluid, while the brain's two cerebral hemispheres are like "a pair of shrivelled walnut halves on top of the brain stem, in contact neither with each other nor the bones of the skull. It is the only animal on Earth with such a strangely reduced brain."[8]
It is generally a silent animal, but males have a very loud advertising call that can be heard from almost a kilometre away during the breeding season. When under stress, Koalas may issue a loud cry, which has been reported as similar to that of a human baby.[9] There is little reliable information about the lifespan of the Koala, but in captivity they have been observed to reach the age of 18 years.[5]
The inverted thumbs on the Koala's back feet help for grip while the koala changes branches or eats with its front hands.[citation needed]
[edit] Life cycle
Koala walking along a branch at Lone Pine Koala SanctuaryFemales reach maturity at 2 to 3 years of age, males at 3 to 4 years. If healthy, a female Koala can produce one young each year for about 12 years. Gestation is 35 days. Twins are very rare; the world's first confirmed identical twin koalas, named "Euca" and "Lyptus", were born at the University of Queensland in 1999.[10][11] Mating normally occurs between December and March, the Southern Hemisphere's summer.
A baby Koala is referred to as a joey and is hairless, blind, and earless. At birth the joey, only a quarter of an inch long, crawls into the downward-facing pouch on the mother's belly (which is closed by a drawstring-like muscle that the mother can tighten at will) and attaches itself to one of the two teats. Young remain hidden in the pouch for about six months, only feeding on milk. During this time they grow ears, eyes, and fur. The joey then begins to explore outside of the pouch. At about this stage it begins to consume small quantities of the mother’s "pap" (formerly thought to be excrement, but now thought to come from the mother's caecum) in order to inoculate its gut with the microbes necessary to digest eucalypt leaves.[12] The baby Koala will remain with the mother for another six months or so, riding on her back, and feeding on both milk and eucalypt leaves until weaning is complete at about 12 months of age. Young females disperse to nearby areas at that time; young males often stay in the mother's home range until they are two or three years old.
[edit] Ecology and behaviour
Koala eating eucalyptus leaves
A Koala eating eucalyptus leaves in the rain.
Koalas at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, QueenslandThe Koala lives almost entirely on eucalypt leaves. This is likely to be an evolutionary adaptation that takes advantage of an otherwise unfilled ecological niche, since eucalypt leaves are low in protein, high in indigestible substances, and contain phenolic and terpene compounds that are toxic to most species. Like wombats and sloths, the Koala has a very low metabolic rate for a mammal and rests motionless for about 18 to 20 hours a day, sleeping most of that time. Koalas that are disturbed are known to be violent, their teeth and claws capable of causing considerable injury to humans; special handling requirements are as such applicable.[13]
Handling of koalas has been a source of political contention due to these risks, which can also cause harm to the koala as well. [14]Koalas spend about three of their five active hours eating. Feeding occurs at any time of day, but usually at night. An average Koala eats 500 grams (18 oz) of eucalypt leaves each day, chewing them in its powerful jaws to a very fine paste before swallowing. The liver deactivates the toxic components ready for excretion, and the hind gut (especially the caecum) is greatly enlarged to extract the maximum amount of nutrient from the poor quality diet. Much of this is done through bacterial fermentation: when young are being weaned, the mother passes unusually soft faeces, called pap, which is rich in these bacteria, thus passing these essential digestive aids on to her offspring.
The Koala will eat the leaves of a wide range of eucalypts, and occasionally even some non-eucalypt species, but it has firm preferences for particular varieties. These preferences vary from one region to another: in the south Manna Gum, Blue Gum and Swamp Gum are favoured; Grey Gum and Tallowwood are important in the north, and the ubiquitous River Red Gum of the isolated seasonal swamps and watercourses that meander across the dry inland plains allows the Koala to exist in surprisingly arid areas. Many factors determine which of the 800 species of eucalypt trees the Koala eats. Among trees of their favourite species, however, the major factor that determines which individual trees the Koala chooses is the concentration of a group of phenolic toxins called formylated phloroglucinol compounds.
[edit] Conservation status
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The Koala was hunted almost to extinction in the early 20th century, largely for its fur. Millions of furs were traded to Europe and the USA, and the population has not recovered from such decimation. Extensive cullings occurred in Queensland in 1915, 1917 and again in 1919 when over one million Koalas were killed with guns, poison and nooses.[15] The public outcry over the cullings was most likely the first wide-scale environmental issue that rallied Australians.[15] Despite the growing movement to protect native species, the drought of 1926-28 lead to the another 600 000 Koalas being killed during a one-month open season in August 1927.[15]
Today, habitat loss and the impacts of irresponsible urbanisation (for example dog attacks and traffic accidents) are the leading threats to the survival of koalas. In recent years, some colonies have been hard hit by disease, especially chlamydia. The Koala requires large areas of healthy, connected forest and will travel long distances along tree corridors in search of new territory and mates. The increasing human population of the coastal parts of the continent continues to cut these corridors by agricultural and residential development, forestry and road-building, marooning Koala colonies in decreasing areas of bush. The long term viability of koalas is therefore threatened by genetic weakness. The Australian Koala Foundation has mapped 40,000 km˛ (15,000 sq mi). of land for Koala habitat and claims it has strong evidence to suggest wild Koala populations are in serious decline throughout the species natural range. Although the species covers a massive area, only 'pieces' of Koala habitat remain. These pieces need to be managed, protected and restored in a coordinated way. Presently, many are being lost to weeds, cleared for agriculture, or carved up by developers. Other threats come from logging, poor management, attacks from feral and domestic animals, disease and roads.
In contrast to the situation on much of the mainland, where populations are declining, the Koalas of many island and isolated populations have reached what some have described as "plague" proportions. On Kangaroo Island in South Australia, Koalas introduced some 90 years ago have thrived in the absence of predators and competition. Combined with an inability to migrate to new areas, this has caused the Koala populations to become unsustainable and threaten the Island's unique ecology. In particular, species of Manna Gum, native to the island, are being stripped by Koalas at a rate faster than they can regenerate, endangering local birds and invertebrates that rely on them, and causing the extinction of at least one isolated population of manna. Koala numbers are estimated at over 30,000, with ecologists suggesting that the Island can sustain 10,000 at most. Although culling has been suggested as a means to reduce Koala numbers, with the South Australian Government seriously considering such in 1996, this has met with fierce opposition both domestically and internationally, and the species remains protected. The popularity of the Koala has made the possibility of a cull politically improbable, with any negative perception likely to impact tourism and a government's electability. In place of a cull, sterilisation and translocation programmes have had only limited success in reducing numbers thus far, and remain expensive. There is evidence that Koalas relocated to the mainland have difficulty establishing themselves in the different circumstances. A mooted alternative to the complex sterilisation method, wherein the animal must first be captured, are hormonal implants that can be injected via darts.
The Koala inhabits four Australian states. Under state legislation, the species is listed as:
Queensland - Common, or "Least Concern Wildlife" throughout the state, except in the relatively small South East Queensland Bioregion, where it is listed as Vulnerable.[16]
New South Wales - listed at a state scale as vulnerable, but varying regionally from "secure" to "locally extinct".[17]
South Australia - classified as Rare.[18]
Victoria - The koala population in Victoria is considered "large and thriving".[19]
The US Government have declared the koala a threatened species, however the Australian Government has not. A review of the species national conservation status concluded that the koala are not threatened at a national scale, with a population that numbers in the hundreds of thousands.[20] This was the third review undertaken by the federal government that came to this conclusion. Other studies have estimated as few as 70 000 koalas left in the wild, and the Australian Koala Foundation estimates there are around 100,000. The IUCN lists the species as "Lower Risk / Near Threatened".[2]
As with most native Australian animals, the Koala cannot legally be kept as a pet in Australia without a permit[edit] Bears in Books
Blinky The Bear Who Wouldn't Hibernate by Helen L. Partridge
Harry, the Fat Bear Spy
Baloo from The Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
the Berenstain Bears
Brer Bear, from the Uncle Remus stories by Joel Chandler Harris
Paddington Bear
the Three Bears from Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne
Rupert Bear (also known as Rupert the Bear) from the children's books by Mary Tourtel (also became featured in comic strips and a TV series)
Corduroy by Don Freeman
Little Bear by Maurice Sendak
Crow of the Bear Clan, barbarian comic book bear
Old Bear, from the Old Bear series of books
Old Ben, around which revolve the events of William Faulkner's short story The Bear.
Shardik, the ursine protagonist of Richard Adams' novel of the same name
Shardik (Dark Tower), a 70 foot tall cyborg bear from Stephen King's The Waste Lands, named after the above
Iorek Byrnison, the armoured bear in Philip Pullman's trilogy His Dark Materials
Winkie, a bear from Clifford Chase's debut novel that is accused of terrorism.
'Hal Jam' a bear who passes himself off as a talented author in The Bear Went Over the Mountain, a novel by William Kotzwinkle.
Theadore Rosebear, Teddy Roosevelt's best friend in Edward Summer's novel Teefr and The Legend of Teddy Bear Bob (aka "Bear Bob's Story").
Henisz Teddy Bear who went on the Trip around the World.
Beorn, from The Hobbit, by J. R. R. Tolkien, was a man with the ability to transform into a bear
The Three Bulgy Bears in Prince Caspian
Teddy Robinson, from Joan G. Robinson's books Dear Teddy Robinson and More about Teddy Robinson.
Ursaline B. "Bear" Bruin, a Chevy Suburban-driving grizzly from the fantasy novel Collinsfort Village by Joe Ekaitis.
Bruin Bear, a small bear resembling a teddy bear found in Simon Green's Shadows Fall and the sixth Nightside Novel.
Mr T also appears as a teddy bear in many books repeatedly using the line " I pity the fool"
'Hal Jam' a bear adopts this name after stealing a novel buried under a tree, passing himself off as an author in 'The Bear Went Over the Mountain' by William Kotzwinkle.
Mr. Bultitude in C. S. Lewis' That Hideous Strength.
State o' Maine in John Irving's The Hotel New Hampshire.
[edit] Bears in Plays
The Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare famously includes the stage direction "Exit, pursued by a bear".
[edit] Animated Bears
Akakabuto in the anime Ginga: Nagareboshi Gin. His name means literally red helmet, because of the fur atop his head which is completely red.
Baloo, Kit Cloudkicker, Rebecca Cunningham and Molly Cunningham from TaleSpin
Barney Bear from the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer theatrical cartoons of the 1940s and 1950s.
Bears (several characters) in the Walt Disney Studios animated film Brother Bear
The Bear that Wasn't, from the cartoon of the same name. After waking up from his long winter's nap, the bear finds his home at the center of a construction project. All of the men their insist on his being, instead of a bear, a "silly man who needs a shave and wears a fur coat."
Bear, from Franklin
Bearmon, Grizzmon, Monzaemon, WaruMonzaemon and Pandamon from Digimon. Notice that also Etemon and MetalEtemon hold Monzaemon and Warumonzaemon's plush figures, respectively.
Blubber, Luke's racing partner in Hanna-Barbera's Wacky Races
Bobo, Mr Burns' treasured childhood teddy bear from The Simpsons' episode Rosebud
Bongo, the circus bear featured in the Disney film, Fun and Fancy Free
Boog, a domesticated Grizzly Bear in the CG film Open Season.
Brother Bear, title character from the 2003 Disney animated film
Boskov the bear in the animated series Evil con Carne
the Buddy Bears, recurring children's show bears on Garfield and Friends
Butterbear, the half-bear half-butterfly hybrid on The Wuzzles
the Care Bears
Chief Grizzly, the grizzly bear chief in Hoodwinked.
Curtis E. Bear, the Courtesy Bear. Appeared in The Simpsons episode Marge Simpson in: "Screaming Yellow Honkers" as a mascot at a road rage class.
Disabear, from Deko Boko Friends.
Eddy and the Bear
Gordon a bear bean scout in Camp Lazlo
the Gummi Bears from the popular Disney animated series.
"Bamse - the strongest bear in the whole world" is a Swedish comic book features several bear characters including Viktoria, Brum, Brumma, Brumellisa, Brummelufs, as well Bamse himself
Mr. Panda from Ranma 1/2, actually Ranma's father cursed to transform into a panda when expsoed to cold water.
Help! It's The Hair Bear Bunch: Hanna-Barbera
Humphrey Bear, a Walt Disney character appearing in 1950s shorts, usually harassing Donald Duck
Kissy Fur - Animated series in the United States from the 1980s about two run away circus bears that now live in the Bayou.
Little Bear
Pop and Cub, bears from Happy Tree Friends.
Little John was a bear in Disney's version of Robin Hood
Bear, from Harvey Birdman
SuperTed of the UK animated series of the same name, created by Mike Young.
Munchlax, Snorlax, Teddiursa, Spinda, Teddiursa and Ursaring from Pokémon.
The Three Bears, Looney Tunes characters
Unnamed sailor bear who catches the magic bed while fishing in Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Vincent, a grouchy black bear in the DreamWorks film, Over the Hedge.
Yogi Bear and his pal Boo Boo, created by Hanna-Barbera
Flippy, a bear from Happy Tree Friends.
Sebastian Star Bear and his sidekick Souki, from the 1991 movie "Sebastian Star Bear: The First Mission". The movie is about 90 minutes long and was created in the Netherlands. All images were drawn in China.
The Siberian Bear in the cartoon The World of David the Gnome
[edit] Bears in Comics and Cartoons
Traditionnal representation of a bear proposed to children for drawing.The many bears of Gary Larson's The Far Side cartoons
P. T. Bridgeport, the con-bear in Walt Kelly's Pogo
Cornelius Bear and Téodor Orezcu in Chris Onstad's Achewood webcomic.
Shako, the killer polar bear in the weekly UK anthology comic 2000AD.
The title character from the Danish comic Rasmus Klump
Benjamin, Howie, and multiple other teddy bears in The Secret World of Benjamin Bear
Thornton, a polar bear in Sherman's Lagoon
Biffo the Bear in the The Beano
Ralph, the "midget circus bear" in Frank Cho's Liberty Meadows
Bear, from the webcomic Bear and Kitten
[edit] Bears in Film
Archie in Dr. Dolittle 2
Adult male and cub from L' Ours
The relentless, man-eating bear in the 1997 film, The Edge played by Bart the Bear
Ling Ling the pregnant panda, in the film Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, as well as the den of kodiak bears from which the news team rescues Veronica Corningstone.
Oksana (named after Borat's wife) in Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan played by two bears, Chester and Charlie.
Teddy, a computer-animated animatronic (and highly intelligent) teddy bear in Steven Spielberg's Artificial Intelligence: A.I.
[edit] Puppet Bears
Baby Bear in Sesame Street
Bad Idea Bears from Avenue Q
Basil the Bear on Sesame Park
Bear, Ojo, and Ursa from Bear in the Big Blue House
Bobo the Bear from Muppets Tonight
Buttons the Bear from Puppets Who Kill
Fozzie Bear from The Muppet Show
Humphrey B. Bear
Sooty, Cousin Scampy and Soo (a panda bear)
[edit] Bears in Advertising
Smokey Bear, mascot of the U.S. Forest Service. He is also only semi-fictional, as he was based on a real orphaned bear cub also named Smokey.
the ICEE Polar Bear, an animated mascot for The ICEE Company, as seen on TV ads.
Peppy the Polar Bear from British Fox's Glacier Mint commercials
Talking polar bear from British Cresta soft drink commercials of the 1970s
Smokey BearPolar bears from international Coca-Cola commercials
Grizzly bears in ads for Charmin toilet paper
"There's a bear in the woods. . ." Presumably representing the Soviet Union, this bear appeared in Ronald Reagan's campaign advertising.
Snuggles, the fabric softener bear
Sugar Bear, mascot for General Foods Corporation's Post Sugar Crisp cereal
Charmin bears.
Sleepy Bear, the Travel Lodge Bear, mascot for Travel Lodge, as seen on TV ads.
[edit] Bears in Alcohol Advertising
the Hamm's Beer bear
the Labatt's Blue bear
Bundaberg Polar Bear used widely In Bundaberg Rum Ads in Australia.
George, the bear in the British Hofmeister Beer commercials of the 1980s. "For great lager, follow the bear".
Anderson Valley Brewing Company's mascot is a beer: part bear, part deer.
[edit] Bears in Poetry and Song
Fuzzy Wuzzy, an English nursery rhyme.
"Teddy Bear," a No. 1 hit in 1957 for Elvis Presley and one of the cornerstone songs of his career.
The picnicking bears in John Walter Bratton's lilting 1907 song, "Teddy Bears' Picnic." (Originally the "Teddy Bears' Two-Step.")
"Teddy Bear," the title character of a 1976 country No. 1 hit by Red Sovine. Teddy Bear was the CB handle for a young crippled, fatherless boy, who longed to ride along with truckers.
[edit] Bears on Television
Paddington Bear, the famous British bear
Bungle, from Rainbow
Bear, the title character from the Disney television program Bear in the Big Blue House
Bear from Word World
Buttons, the womanizing teddy bear on Puppets Who Kill
The Dancing Bear, on Captain Kangaroo
Gentle Ben, about a boy and his tame bear
Ben, grizzly bear companion to "Grizzly Adams"
Teddy, the loyal side-kick of Mr. Bean
Rupert Bear, a white bear starring in his own TV show, Rupert
[edit] Teddy Bears
For main article, see Teddy bear.
Microsoft BearU.S. president Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt refused to shoot a bear in Mississippi. That bear became the prototype for the Teddy bear, which is a stuffed animal toy.
Mister Woppit, mascot of Donald Campbell, breaker of speed-records killed on Lake Coniston in 1967.
Bear, the mascot of the Windows 3.1 (and later Windows 95) team
Teddy Ruxpin, the popular animatronic teddy bear from the 1980s.
Pooky, teddy bear from the comic strip Garfield.
Rupert, Stewie Griffin's teddy bear from Family Guy.
Winnie the Pooh, teddy bear of Christopher Robin Milne, son of A.A. Milne.
Corduroy, Don Freeman's classic teddy character
Smacky, Bucky Katt's miniature teddy bear in the comic strip Get Fuzzy
Aloysius, the teddy bear of Sebastian Flyte in Evelyn Waugh's novel Brideshead Revisited; the model for Aloysius was Archie, the teddy bear of John Betjeman, who appeared as himself in a children's book by Betjeman, Archie and the Strict Baptists.
Mabel, Elvis Presley's teddy bear.[1]
Teddy Edward, star of children's books and a BBC Television series.
[edit] Animatronic Bears
"Zeke and Zed and Ted and Fred, and a bear named Tennessee," the bears of the Country Bear Jamboree at Disney theme parks
Billy Bob and Beach Bear from the Showbiz Pizza restaurant house band, The Rock-afire Explosion.
[edit] Aesop's Fable: The Bear and the Two Travelers
In a fable by Aesop, two travelers are walking along when a bear jumps up, causing the first traveler to hop into a tree, and the second to lay on the ground, remembering that bears do not attack prey that is already dead. The bear sniffs the "dead" man, and goes away. The first traveler comes back, asking, "What did the Master Bruin do?" The second replies the moral of the story: "Giving me really good advice, Don't trust a friend who abandons you at the first sign of danger."
[edit] Miscellaneous
Banjo, the star of the Banjo-Kazooie series.
Cresent Grizzly — a maverick from Mega Man X5 who is designed like a grizzly bear.
Drop Bear, an urban mythical marsupial in Australia said to be similar to the Koala Bear.
Grizzly Bears and Polar Bears are aviable to adopt in Zoo Tycoon, both the original and sequel.
Gladly, the Cross-Eyed Bear, a mondegreen created from the misheard lyrics of a hymn (Gladly, the Cross I'd bear…). Used as the name of Baby Grumpling's teddy bear in British comic strip The Perishers, separately used as a character in The Friends of Fairwood Forest series, and separately in a novel by Evan Hunter.
Grizzly Slash/Crescent Grizzly, a Maverick from Mega Man X.
Kuma — a character from the Tekken fighting series.
Misha, the mascot of the 1980 Summer Olympic games
Nate Osworth is a bear that updates his blog on the popular MySpace community.
Tottles the Bear — a character in children's stories.
Ursa Major and Ursa Minor the two bear constellations, sometimes also referred to as the big dipper, or the drinking gourd.
Cuddly, a traveling blogger Teddy Bear from the UK [1]
Floydie Bear, a mischievous Teddy Bear who helps others [2]
D-bear, a notoriously dim-witted bear in Pickle comics (Taiwan)
Rupert, teddy bear belonging to Stewie Griffin, a character in Seth MacFarlane's "Family Guy"
Drunky the Bear, a character on the Monsters in the Morning radio show.
PostBear the Postman bear, a character from the story "Zack's fantasy", who is a postman.
Mary the Baby Bear, a lovable and bubbly little bear from the story "Zack's fantasy".
Bear, a playable character from TimeSplitters: Future Perfect.
Tequila Teddy and J.D. from their own message board,[3] and Teddy Bear Gumbo [4]
Bob T. Bear Esq. a spy Teddy Bear from the UK [5]
Pudgie and Gladstone from a blog of several Teddy Bears and plushes called Furry Thoughts for Fuzzy Times [6]
Mawson, an expert Teddy Bear from Australia, who helps teach bears about being a bear [7]
Spaulding and Teddy, Internet Savvy American Teddy Bears, with their own Web Den [8] and Teddy Bear Journal [9]
Henry Bear, CindaBella, and Jazmyn owner and staff at the Bearly Irish Pub message board [10]
Phytheas Bear, a small bear who travels with my adopter. [11]
Edmund (the explorer) Nesbitt, preparing for an expedition to the Arctic, to raise funds for the children's unit at St. Theresa's Hospice in Darlington. [12]
The Cinnamon Bear is Paddy O'Cinnamon from the hero of the 26-part Christmas radio series, THE CINNAMON BEAR, created in 1937 by the late Glanville T. (Glan) Heisch.
Klu the Bear, and I have my own blog«
Download is starting. Save file to your computer. If the download does not start automatically, right-click this link and choose "Save As". How to get videos onto the iPod or PSP.
