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NORMAN 864 PIC 2014.07

Could this be 864 Norman observed in July 2014 NPS photo from page 115 of the 2018 Bears of Brooks River book

Adult Male

Year First Identified:  2006

Year Last Identified:  2008? (and possibly again in 2014 & 2015)

Offspring Of:  Unknown 

Genetics Study Samples:  864 Norman was sampled in the early 2000's (sometime between 2005 - 2008).  



Identification:[]

2014  - 2018 Bears of Brooks River book:  This is a very large male, but his body does not appear to be filled out.  864’s coat is dark brown, his muzzle is blocky and scarring is usually visible on his forehead. The whites of his eyes are often visible giving him a distinctive look.

Distinctive Behaviors:[]

2014 Bears of Brooks River book:  Bear #864 was identified in July 2006, but was certainly a large, mature adult at that time. When present, he was arguably the most dominant bear along the Brooks River in July, even fighting and displacing #24.

During the rare instances when he was seen, #864 didn’t acknowledge other bears while fishing.  This is common behavior for very dominant bears.

In 2007, he was only observed by bear biologists on overnight surveys, and he has not been observed at all since 2008.

2015 - 2018 Bears of Brooks River book:  Bear #864 was identified in July 2006, but was certainly a large, mature adult at that time. When present, he was arguably the most dominant bear along the Brooks River in July, even fighting and displacing #24. During the rare instances when he was seen, #864 didn’t acknowledge other bears while fishing. This is common behavior for very dominant bears.

In 2007, he was only observed by bear biologists on overnight surveys which suggests he developed little to no habituation towards people. It is possible this bear visited Brooks Falls briefly in July 2014 (see July 2014 phoro below ). If it was #864 at that time, he was no longer the dominant bear that he used to be. #747 quickly chased him away from the falls area.

Life History:[]

864 Norman was a truly impressive animal per Ranger Roy Wood:

2006:[]

Bear #864 was identified in July 2006, but was certainly a large, mature adult at that time. When present, he was arguably the most dominant bear along the Brooks River in July, even fighting and displacing #24. During the rare instances when he was seen, #864 didn’t acknowledge other bears while fishing. This is common behavior for very dominant bears.

July 2006:[]

2007:[]

In 2007, he was only observed by bear biologists on overnight surveys which suggests he developed little to no habituation towards people.

864 Norman was the most dominant boar at Brooks River from 2007 - 2011 when he was at the river.

July 2007:[]

2007.07.08:  864 Norman defeats 24 BB (aka Bald Butt) in a fight, KNP&P video .:

864_defeats_24_in_a_fight_July_8,_2007_2_KNP&P_video

864 defeats 24 in a fight July 8, 2007 2 KNP&P video

The July 8, 2007 fight between 24 BB and 864 Norman can also be seen at the beginning of this KNP&P Bear Fight video. The bear encounter at approximately 25 seconds into the video are 218 Ugly and 489 Ted on July 29, 2007. The bears at the end of the video (0:35) are 856 and 402 with her spring cubs in July 2011.

In 2007, when 864 Norman defeated 24 BB in a fight, a subordinate adult male took the opportunity to chase 24 BB per Ranger Mike's July 14, 2014 comment:

2011:[]

864 Norman remained the most dominant boar at Brooks River when he was at the river during the 2011 season.

2012:[]

864 Norman was included in the 2012 Brown Bears of Brooks Camp iBook.:

2014:[]

864 Norman was included in the 2014 Bears of Brooks River book on page 67.:

June 2014:[]

2014.06.27:  Ranger Jeanne's photos (#1 , #2 , #3 & #4 ) of the possible June 27, 2014 sighting of 864 Norman.

On July 14, 2014 Ranger Jeanne shared this information about the above June 27, 2014 photos that were possibly 864 Norman.:

July 2014:[]

It is possible this bear visited Brooks Falls briefly in July 2014 (see photo at top right). If it was #864 at that time, he was no longer the dominant bear that he used to be. #747 quickly chased him away from the falls area.

2015:[]

864 Norman was included in the 2015 Bears of Brooks River book on page 92.:

July 2015:[]

Was 864 Norman also possibly seen again briefly in July 2015?

2015.07.13 or 2015.07.14:  Mocha captured these photos (#1 , #2 (864? left & 856 right) , #3 ,#4 , #5 & #6 ) of the bear that was believed to possibly be 864 Norman.:

How 864 Norman Got His Nickname:[]

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Known Courting & Mating:[]

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Known Relatives:[]

Specific known relatives of 864 Norman are not known to us at this time.  However, it was determined from genetics study samples obtained between 2005 and 2008 that 864 Norman was one of 4 boars to sire a disproportionately large number of cubs.  

Genetics Study Samples Obtained:[]

2005 - 2008:[]

864 Norman was sampled sometime between 2005 - 2008.



A special thank you to KCanada for the NPS photos from the 2012 Brown Bears of Brooks Camp iBook.

A special thank you to Xander-Sage for creating the gif of NPS photos from the 2012 Brown Bears of Brooks Camp iBook.

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