Camp Creature - The Minnesota Black Bear

A juvenile Minnesota Black Bear

Are there bears at Camp Foley?  Possibly...  While we certainly don’t see them wandering through camp every day, one species of North American bear is indigenous to the North woods.  It’s the Minnesota Black Bear, otherwise known as the North American Black Bear.

Black Bears are closely related to Brown and Polar Bears.  They can grow to weigh 150-600 lbs., and stand 5-7 ft. tall when up on their hind legs.  While most Black Bears have a rich, black coat; about 6% actually have brown coats.

Black Bear and cub

Unlike Grizzly Bears, Black Bears are rarely aggressive towards humans.  In most cases, Black Bears will run or retreat from humans unless they feel they are being threatened, a human is trying to harm their cubs, or their escape path has been cut off.  The most common reason humans are attacked by Black Bears is because they make the mistake of trying to feed them.

In spite of the fact that Black Bears have been over-hunted in previous decades, the Minnesota DNR estimates that there are now about 27,000 in Minnesota, and they have been removed from the endangered species list.  Hunters still need a special permit to hunt them, but a small number are taken each year with bows and arrows, muzzleloaders, and modern rifles.

Black Bears are an arboreal (tree-climbing) species

One of the reasons Black Bears were able to repopulate so quickly is because they are versatile omnivores.  Black Bears eat plants, insects, and animals they find on land, in the water, and in the trees.  As an arboreal bear, they continue to have the ability to climb trees even as adults.  Up to 85% of the Black Bears’ diet is plant life.  Especially in early spring when they are thin and weak from long periods of inactivity, Black Bears will often feed on roots, plants, and young shoots from emerging trees.  While they don't technically "hibernate," they do enter into a similar long-term sedative state during winter months where they can lose up to 40% of their body weight.

Black Bear cub

As Black Bears regain their strength and muscle, they’ll begin adding fish from local lakes and streams; and other forms of meat to their diet.  Although Black Bears can run up to 35 mph for short distances, they can’t keep up that pace long enough to be effective predators of small game.  Occasionally they will catch and eat moose, beaver, and other animals, but they are much more likely to feed on carrion they locate with their powerful sense of smell, or scare away smaller predators that have recently made a kill, and steal their prey.

1914 photo of the Black Bear
who was the inspiration for
"Winnie The Pooh"

Black Bears love honey and have been known to tear deep into trees to get to nests of bees.  They will often eat the entire hive’s supply of honey even while being repeatedly stung, and in fact often eat honeybees and other hives of insects.  Perhaps this trait is what inspired novelist A.A. Milne to name his character Winnie the Pooh after a famous Black Bear named Winnipeg, who lived at the London Zoo.

This Famous Political Cartoon of Theodore Roosevelt
that appeared in the Washington Post newspaper
inspired the creation of the 1st "Teddy" Bear.

Black Bears have had quite an impact on American history:  Morris Michtom, the creator of the teddy bear, got the idea to create this children’s stuffed animal when he saw a political cartoon (based on a true event) of President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt refusing to shoot a black bear that his hunting guide had tied to a tree.  And in 1950, a Black Bear cub that was rescued from the Capitan Gap fire in a National Forest became the first mascot of the United States Forest Service. They named him "Smokey the Bear."

Have you ever seen a bear while out hiking or camping?  If so, how did you react?

You can learn more about the Black Bear from the Minnesota DNR's website, or The American Bear Association, which is also located in Minnesota.

Camp Creature – The Minnesota Snapping Turtle

Crikey! She's a keeper.

Today’s Camp Creature story is about a young Minnesota Snapping Turtle, who lived in the Camp office in 2012 and 2013.  It was found in the summer of 2012 down by the marina docks by Peter Beltz, a camp counselor.  We asked for help naming this fella, and the winning name was Bowser. Bowser lived up to his name, and got more "snappy" as he grew. Now he has been in the wild for the past 3 summers. Bowser is likely "dinner plate" sized and just loving the pond life. Let's refresh our knowledge on Snapping Turtles! 

What’s this creature all about?  The Snapping Turtle, or “Snapper,” is Minnesota’s largest turtle.  Most are brown, black or olive grey in color, have sharp clawed feet, and feature small spike-like ridges on the top of their shells.  Snapping turtles can live 30 years in the wild and typically grow to about nine to fourteen inches in size across the top of their shells.  In captivity they can live 47 years and weigh up to 86 pounds!  The largest snapping turtle ever found in the state measured nineteen and a half inches and was nicknamed “Minnesota Fats.” 

Counselor Jordan Anderson poses with
a full grown snapper (Summer 2012).

Snapping turtles have long, snake-like necks and powerful beak-like jaws that are used to snare food and protect themselves.  These jaws are important because unlike most turtle species, an adult snapping turtle can’t fully withdraw its head to protect itself from predators – its lower shell is too small.  Adult snapping turtles can be aggressive when confronted on land; they will often hiss and “snap” their jaws at animals they consider to be a threat, which is how they got their name.  They have been known to bite humans on land, when threatened, and their bites can be painful.  However, snapping turtles are rarely aggressive when underwater, which is where they prefer to spend most of their time.  Most will simply swim away rather than risk any kind of contact.

As stated above, our Camp Foley pal began to dislike being handled, thus prompting our Nature instructor to release Bowser into the wild. Now being between four and five years old, he is almost a "mature" adult. So long as he made it through his first couple winters, his list of predators is at a low and he is able to thrive. We are confident Bowser is still at large and on the right path to someday become Hidden Lake's largest snapper! 

A Common Snapping Turtle surfacing for air on
Whitefish Lake (Photo by Camp Director Alli Faricy)

As an omnivore, snapping turtles eat both plants and animals.  They hunt frogs, small fish and snakes and will eat dead creatures too.  In fact, snappers have even been spotted eating small birds and mammals.  These turtles require water-pressure in order to be able to swallow, so they always feed underwater. 

Adults rarely leave the water except to lay eggs or bask in the sun on a rock or log during the Spring.  Because the snapping turtle’s nostrils are on the very tip of its nose, it can simply poke the very edge of its nose up above the surface of the water to breathe, keeping most of its head and body hidden beneath the water from potential predators.

Like all reptiles, the snapping turtle is cold-blooded.  To survive our Minnesota winters, it typically buries itself in the mud at the bottom of a pond, river, or lake from October through March.  

Come spring, remember to drive slow and help a turtle in need! 

(for more info on the Minnesota Snapping Turtle, check out these links)

Minnesota Herpetology
Minnesota DNR

 

CAMP CREATURE - The Minnesota Red Fox

The Minnesota Red Fox

Ever wonder what kind of animals roam around Camp Foley?  One of the most popular among those who frequent camp is the Minnesota Red Fox.  Several Camp Foley staffers have spotted foxes here on the grounds; most recently, near the boys’ cabins.  The foxes are particularly popular with our camp office "mascots" (dogs) Norm and Nike, who seem very interested in being let out to chase them!

While the “Red” Fox can actually be black or silver-black in color, most have a rust-colored pelt with black legs and a long, bushy white-tipped tail.  They average 15 to 16 inches in height and weigh between 8 and 15 pounds.

The Minnesota Red Fox can run up to 30 mph and jump as far as 15 feet.  They are most often seen at twilight and during the evening hours when they venture away from their dens to hunt.

Foxes have a dog-like appearance because they are members of the Canidae animal family – a group that includes dogs, wolves, and similar creatures.  While foxes tend to stay quiet to avoid detection, they can bark, yelp and make many dog-like sounds when necessary.  

A Red Fox with its prey

Unlike dogs and wolves, foxes are not pack animals.  They live and hunt alone, except for a short period of time while raising their young with a mate.  During those months, both parents venture out to hunt alone and bring their catches home to the den to feed their “pups.”  Within a year, the fox pups grow to be large and independent enough to leave the den and live on their own.

As omnivores, Red Foxes feed on rats, mice, rabbits, squirrels, birds, snakes, lizards, fish, insects, berries, nuts, and seeds.  They use their keen eyes, ears, and sense of smell to locate prey.  A fox can detect the sound of a burrowing ground squirrel or a lizard rustling through the brush, from several yards away.  But since foxes hunt alone, rather than in packs, they must often use clever cat-like tactics to track, stalk, and pounce on their prey.  These hunting techniques are believed to be the inspiration behind the old phrase, “sly as a fox.”

Foxes are one of the few predators that occasionally store food under brush or buried in the ground for use later.  While harmless to humans – a fox will usually run as soon as it sees you – they do have a few natural enemies.  Coyotes, dogs, and humans all compete for territory and hunt foxes.

At Camp Foley, our “Foxes” are our youngest camper group.  Like their animal namesakes, Foley Foxes learn valuable skills that they can continue to use throughout their lives.

What animals have you seen here at Foley?  Let us know!

(For more pictures, info, and to hear the sound of a fox barking, click these:)

Animal Planet

National Geographic