Size comparisons

[Shadow]

(05-12-2020, 10:57 PM)Maritimus77 Wrote: @Shadow 

Thank you for the question, Shadow!

I first came across an average number for Kodiak bear measurements in "The Guinness Book of Animal Facts and Feats" (Wood, Gerald) and they stated the average total length of a Kodiak bear as 244cm and the average shoulder height as 132cm:

*This image is copyright of its original author

I then compared these figures with measurements taken from Alaska Pensinula brown bears in a scientific work called "Morphometric Characteristics of Brown Bears on the Central Alaska Peninsula" (Glenn) and the measurements were roughly the same, just slightly less (I'll attach the whole work below):

*This image is copyright of its original author

https://www.bearbiology.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Glenn_Vol_4.pdf

Thank you for sharing that study. And there was something interesting about shoulder height as I thought, that there most probably is. A good example why it´s always so good to see what is written in the study itself. I look it closer later, I think that I have read it before but long time ago.

Anyway look at this: " height at shoulder - distance from superior angle of the scapula to the tip of the longest claw". That is on the first page. So when they give that shoulder height for instance to the bigget bear (152 cm), in reality when it stands on ground, that shoulder height is easily 20 cm less around 130 cm. And of course average shoulder height of male bears is clearly less, when that was the biggest. I have to say, that I don´t get it at all, that why they include claws to that measurement in that study. It is understandable, that bears won´t stand there to be measured as domestic pets like dogs, but still especially with bears that can give very wrong impression, when longest claws alone can be over 10 cm long. They do measure in same way other animals, but with for instance lions and tigers they won´t include claws to that measurement.

Another thing in that study, which is good to notice, when looking measurements is, that body length was over curves, not between pegs.


What comes to Guinness, I have to say that I don´t keep it as the most reliable source what comes to animals. They have too many times published vague and even false information. So when they give averages etc. I´m always interested to know if they are able to give sources to justify their claims. Reply