Bear Bones

As in many other natural history museums, the Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum displays mounts of animals or their parts including bones, skulls, teeth, pelts, claws, and feathers.  Osteology is the study of bones in order to understand their structure and function, and how they relate to an animal’s lifestyle.  At our museum we have several species of bears on display, plus bear skulls, bones, and claws for additional study. 

Looking at a bear’s skull, we can see that they have up to twelve front teeth used for nipping and cutting.  Their four long, sharp canine teeth are used to grab and hold their prey, and to tear apart the meat.  There is a space between the front teeth and the flat molars in the back of the mouth, often found on herbivores, animals that eat vegetation.  Bears are omnivores, including both meat/protein and vegetation in their diet, eating any small mammal up to the size of a deer fawn in addition to plants, seeds, and berries of all kinds.

The long and large nose is another prominent part of a bear’s skull.  A large nasal opening contains a complex system of bony plates intricately woven together.  The plates create a much larger surface area than only the inside walls of the nasal opening, and are all covered with membranes capable of detecting scent.  Bears have an excellent sense of smell, about seven times better than a bloodhound and more than 2,000 times better than a human.  They can distinguish one or more scents from among dozens, detectable from as far away as two miles.  Bears use their sense of smell to find food, mates, and family, and to identify potential threats.

The ocular (eye) openings indicate that a bear’s eyes are located on either side of its nose, and face forward.  This provides bears with binocular vision allowing them to see three-dimensional images and judge depth-of-field, the distance between a near object and a farther away object.  Knowing how far away and how big another animal is compared to itself enhances its abilities to find and capture prey as well as avoid potential predators.  Ear openings, at the lower back of the skull are difficult to find.  The openings are tiny, and the auditory bone inside is small and flat.  Bears have small eyes, with average eyesight, and small ears with slightly less than average hearing capabilities.

Their claws, another important part of a bear’s body, serve many functions to help them to survive in their environment.  A polar bear’s claws are about five inches in length, thick, sharp, and slightly curved.  They are used to gain traction on the ice when running or pulling themselves out of the water and onto an ice floe.  A grizzly bear’s claws are about the same size, but stouter and not as sharp.  They are used for pulling logs apart, digging dens, and scratching roots and invertebrates out of the ground.  Black bears have the shortest and straightest claws, about two inches in length.  They are sturdy claws, not as good for hunting and digging, but are excellent for climbing trees, an activity used by smaller bears that can pull their own weight upwards. 

Many other facts can be learned about the lifestyles of bears from around the world by studying bones, skulls, skeletons, paws, and whole specimens.  Consider visiting us at the Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum to learn more by making a reservation at: JSNM Reservations (http) (enter hotlink)