Bears, Bears, Bears

Patrick Colgan is the executive director of the Canadian Museum of
Nature in Ottawa.

This is a compact, comprehensive, and attractive overview of a
fascinating group of mammals. In successive chapters, Lynch outlines his
personal fascination with bears, their global distribution and variety
(northern and tropical groups, and key features); coats (specific and
geographical variation, and molting); home ranges and litter size (both
influenced by food supply); mating season (including competition and
delayed implantation of zygotes); omnivorous diet (including hunting
tactics); enemies of bears (including other bears and insects); social
communication and alliances; hazards of adolescence; timing and location
of hibernation (with the polar bear as an exception); impact of humans
(through hunting, “sport,” and encroachment on habitat); prospects
for the future with respect to conservation (the outlook is mixed for
polar bears, but decidedly perilous for some other species); and options
for action. The informative and conversational text is spiced with
incidents (e.g., bears drunk on fermenting corn at a train wreck) and
sidebars devoted to Bear Facts. Highly recommended.