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Featured Fuzzy July 2009: Grizzly Fuzzy
The Grizzly fuzzy is a species of wild fuzzy that can grow up to 5″ long. They have black eyes and long, thick, brown fur that is tipped with black. Their favorite food is blackberries.
Despite its name, this fuzzy is actually not native to North America. Recent tests show the Grizzly fuzzy to be virtually identical to a little-known African species called the “Lion’s Mane fuzzy”. In Africa, this species can only be found within the manes of adult male lions. The Lion’s Mane fuzzy was most likely introduced to North America via early 17th or 18th century trading ships. The Grizzly fuzzy is now considered to be a very close subspecies of the Lion’s Mane fuzzy.
In North America, the Grizzly fuzzy is found almost exclusively within the thick coats of wild Grizzly bears, where they live in small groups of (typically) no more than 7 or 8 individuals. Several groups may share a single bear. They are very particular about which bear they inhabit though, and may travel for hundreds of miles searching for just the right one. Once a group of fuzzies has found a bear to its liking, they will stay with it indefinitely. African Lion’s Mane fuzzies differ in that live in much smaller groups, with only one or two groups per lion.
The Grizzly fuzzy is not to be confused with the common Wooly Bear fuzzy, a native species most often found on bears, buffalo, Newfoundlands, and other large shaggy creatures.Here at the Windstone Phuzziology Dept., we were lucky enough to find a rather large group of Grizzly fuzzies that had taken up temporary residence in a rock pile behind the shop (lucky because no one wanted to volunteer to photograph them in their preferred habitat–nestled within the fur of a living Grizzly bear!). It is rare to find Grizzly fuzzies so far south, this group may have hitched a ride on a black bear or large dog by mistake, and are now just trying to work their way back up to northern Washington where the Grizzlies are. They are quite shy at first, so I used one of Melody’s Mother Bear sculptures to lure some of them from hiding…
It wasn’t long before they were crawling over ever square inch of this bear.
A nice shot of one as it emerged from a little den in the rocks..
When I went to retrieve Melody’s bear, the fuzzies all scattered–all that is except for one small juvenile who had curled into a tight ball under the bear’s front leg and refused to leave. I brought the bear back inside hoping to lure the stow-away out with a bit of candy, but it was no use.
Later I took the bear outside again and just waited. He eventually came out on his own.
I think that’s the cutest species of fuzzy yet!!! How adorable!! Thanks so much for capturing them on film for us. 🙂
Those are cute! 😀 But, if one were to get this Fuzzy with their Windstone, is there the risk of them leaving to try to head up North? Besides blueberries–what would keep them at home?
The few Grizzly fuzzies we have sent out were very much attached to the Windstones they traveled with, so there is probably little chance of them leaving as long as they are allowed to stay with their chosen Windstone.
Plus I try to show my cat, that my Grizzly fuzzy doesn’t mind getting brushed, but that doesn’t do much good with my cat, he still snarls and growls at me… XD
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