The Terrifying Math of Running from a Bear … USA Units
July 17, 2017USA UNITS below. METRIC UNITS here.
BEAR STATISTICS
Grizzly Bear
Weight: 550 lb
Height: 8’ 2”
Top Speed: 35 mph = 51 ft/s
Brown Bear
Weight: 1,500 lb
Height: 8’ 2”
Top Speed: 22 mph = 32 ft/s
Comparing these speeds to the fastest man on earth, Usain Bolt:
Usain Bolt:
Top speed: 27 mph = 40 ft/s
Bears are not dangerous:
………………………………………………………………………
In fact, more Americans die each year from choking on their own vomit than are killed by bears.
More death stats here.
Nevertheless, bears are very fast. So you can see why Park Rangers offer the following advice:
More information at Mountain Nature.
The reason for waiting until the bear is 15 ft away is to make sure the spray doesn’t disperse in the air. If the Pepper Spray is too spread out it will not stop the bear.
Ref: Dog helps save hikers after grizzly chases them for 20 minutes.
This post reminds me of Stephen King’s book ‘The girl who loved Tom Gordon’. She is lost in the woods and being tracked by a grizzly bear!
Hey Fiona, I’m sure the girl wouldn’t be doing the math at that time …. Cheers Mathspig
[…] Just another WordPress.com weblog « The Terrifying Math of Running from a Bear … USA Units […]