Brown bears might eat almost anything, but there is one food they can’t stand.

‘The only thing I’ve noticed that bears won’t eat is lima beans,’ said wildlife expert Andrew Simmons. ‘And I agree with them — it’s a disgusting vegetable.’

The eating habits of brown bears was only one topic Simmons discussed when he visited the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry with an array of animals Tuesday night.

Simmons, who specializes in predators, emphasized the survival methods of predator animals, explained factors that contribute to their endangerment and dispelled popular misconceptions of these animals being inherently violent.

‘I thought it was really interesting,’ said Tim Hornstein, a junior bioprocess and engineering major. ‘It gives us more respect for animals than people who don’t come in contact with them.’

Simmons’ presentation featured a golden eagle, a Eurasian eagle owl, an American alligator, a black throat monitor, a Burmese python and the crowd favorite, a Syrian brown bear cub.

Simmons began the talk describing the trial-and-error method of learning seen among birds of prey to the packed auditorium, with a large, black golden eagle perched on his hand. 

The ‘ghost owl,’ or Eurasian eagle owl, known for its fuzz-covered feathers that quiet its flight, also made an appearance. The owl is the same type used in the Harry Potter movies, Simmons said.

The owl, the largest in the world, initially seemed opposed to sitting on Simmons’ arm, trying to fly away for the first few moments on stage. Once settled, Simmons fed the owl two rodents, which it ate whole. 

He then brought out a 3-year-old American alligator. The alligator can grow up to a foot a year in the wild, Simmons said.

As one of Simmons’ assistants brought the alligator around the audience, Simmons explained alligators become a danger to humans only after they are fed and lose their fear of humans. Most alligator attacks are due to humans invading their habitat or attempting to get too close to them, he said.

Simmons brought a black throat monitor, a large lizard native to Africa, to the stage next. Compared to alligators, the lizards are easier to deal with because they become unconscious when flipped on their back.

‘You don’t see people on the Discovery Channel wrestling and pinning six- to eight-foot lizards,’ Simmons said.

Five audience members were called on stage to assist with the next animal, an 18-foot long Burmese python. The snake can consume whole animals four times the size of its head and eats every few weeks, Simmons said.

Once fully grown, the python has no natural predators and isn’t usually a risk to humans.

‘The only time you have to worry about them is when they are in their enclosure, ready to feed,’ Simmons said. 

The snake was bred and raised in captivity, and Simmons taught the audience how to determine the sex of a snake. Males typically have longer and thicker tails than females. He told students not to handle a snake in the wild and try to determine its sex. 

The last animal, a Syrian brown bear cub, was the crowd favorite. 

‘The bear was adorable,’ said Sabrina Green, a freshman wildlife science major.

Simmons said the idea that bears spend the winter in a deep slumber is false. He said bears are easily woken.

Like the python, brown bears have no natural enemies once they are fully grown. Bears are incorrectly identified as carnivores and should be labeled omnivores because they will eat almost anything, he said.

Simmons’ presentation inspired some students to attempt to follow in his footsteps.

‘I love animals, so that was awesome,’ said Brittany Laxton, a sophomore biology major. ‘I want to have my own zoo now.’

jlsiart@syr.edu

Published on October 10, 2010 at 12:00 pm