Over centuries, humans followed mammals like bear and caribou from Siberia into North America and back again to Asia and Europe several times. Our ancient myths cast bears as our teachers in understanding survival and spirituality. Ursa Major and Ursa Minor are the great bears in the sky serving as magnificent pointers, celestial guides and symbolizing renewal of the seasons.

With an expressive face, curious nature and flexible habitat, American Black Bears (Ursus americanus) are adaptable, intelligent and share some uncanny characteristics with humans. Is it any wonder we include the bear so deeply in our ancient myths and childhood fairytales?

In this episode of Critter Chat, hosts Marney Blair and Susan Brandt bear witness to the omnipresence of the bear in our culture with a chat about the American Black Bear, and specifically the population living in the Sierra Nevada, with Arjun Dheer, the Statewide Black Bear Coordinator for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. To delve into a sliver of our ancient history together, we’ll hear some astronomical wisdom from Al Stahler, the host of KVMR’s award-winning series Soundings, about the big bear constellations in the sky that have served as our navigational tools and forecasters for centuries.

Schoolteachers are encouraged to use Critter Chat in their classes with vocabulary words that include hyperphagia and rut.

Critter Chat tells stories of Sierra Nevada wildlife featuring interviews with experts in the field. Critter Chat is locally produced in Grass Valley and is a project of Rational Animal, rational-animal.org

Image: American Black Bear © Photo California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

For more information, see critterchat.org or Instagram: critterchat1