This up-close, captivating look at an iconic animal traces our complex relationship to bears throughout historyβand what they can tell us about ourselves.Β
On Being a Bear draws on history, legends, scientific studies, and the authorβs thirty years of observing bears around the world to offer a richly detailed biography of these iconic animals, including the many ways bears have figured in our lives and imaginations.
As author RΓ©my Marion tells us, some cultures view bears as our wild cousinsβas humans cloaked in furβwhile others cast bears as cuddly characters in cartoons or seek to eradicate their grizzled forms from civilization. Scientists have made new discoveries into bearsβ varied diets, their powerful sense of smell, and a mother bearβs stubborn patience with her cubs. Bears play a vital role in our ecosystems, and new studies into bear hibernation could lead to medical breakthroughs for humans. Offering these and more astonishing insights, On Being a Bear brings readers face-to-face with these long admired, feared, and misunderstood animals, and sets the record straight through a combination of thrilling science and expert storytelling.
