The Titans Clash this week involves team nicknames. In a fight between a wolfpack and a grizzly bear, who wins?
Four teams are named after grizzly bears: the Brown Bears; the California Golden Bears; the
Baylor Bears; and the UCLA Bruins. The bear is a fierce and majestic animal which very much conveys the message of strength and power.
The grizzly bear (Ursus arctos ssp.) is any North American subspecies of the brown bear. Most adult female grizzlies weigh 130–200 kg (290–440 lb), while adult males weigh on average 180–360 kg (400–790 lb). The average total length in this subspecies is 198 cm (6.50 ft), with an average shoulder height of 102 cm (3.35 ft) and hind foot length of 28 cm (11 in). They can run up to 35 mph.
The jaws of a bear reflect its omnivorous eating habits. A bear has 42 teeth, with canines up to 1½ inches long. While a bear's canines can pierce flesh and tear meat, a bear's back teeth are relatively flat, better suited for eating plants rather than meat. However, the jaws of bears are controlled by large muscles that are capable of crushing bones, which gives access to the nutritious marrow within. A bear’s jaw can exert a pressure of perhaps 750 psi.
Males of the species are loner, while females raise their young; they do not live in large social groups like lions or wolves. So you might say they are not team players.
Four teams are named after a wolfpack or wolves: the New Mexico Lobos; the NC State Wolfpack;
The Arkansas State Red Wolves; and the Nevada Wolf Pack. A wolf is also a fierce and majestic animal, smaller than a bear, but other than adolescent males wolves live in packs. So a wolfpack conveys strength, power, and team work.
The gray wolf (Canis lupus) is a canid native to the wilderness and remote areas of North America, Eurasia, and North Africa. It is the largest member of its family, with males averaging 43–45 kg (95–99 lb), and females 36–38.5 kg (79–85 lb). The wolf’s canine teeth are robust and relatively short (26 mm). The wolf can exert a crushing pressure of perhaps 1,500 psi.
The basic social unit of a wolf pack is the mated pair, accompanied by the pair's adult offspring. In ideal conditions, the mated pair produces pups every year, with such offspring typically staying in the pack for 10–54 months before dispersing. The average pack consists of a family of 5–11 animals (1–2 adults, 3–6 juveniles, and 1–3 yearlings), or sometimes two or three such families, with exceptionally large packs consisting of 42 wolves having been observed.
This highly socialized structure also allows the pack to be very cunning and strategic when hunting or defending its territory. So you could say that wolves are the ultimate team players.
So there you have it: two majestic animals. The bear is bigger and strong, but is a loner; the wolfpack works as a team and has a very sophisticated attack. We are siding with the wolfpack on this one. What do you think? Please comment via the button below.