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The Bergman Bear, Irkuiem, God Bear, or Ursus arctos piscator, is a possibly extinct bear cryptid native to Russia.
In 1920 Swedish zoologist Sten Bergman was given the opportunity to examine the hide of a giant, black furred variey of the Kamchatka pie bear. Bergman, who had spent two years studying the wildlife of the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia, noted that the pelt was far beyond the size of other bears found in the area.
Attributes[]
The Bergman's bear is a very large, short-furred bear with baggy, short hind legs. This earned it the name 'Irkuiem' or 'trousers pulled down'. It also has very large paws.
Sightings[]
1920[]
In 1920 Swedish zoologist Sten Bergman was given the opportunity to examine the hide of a giant, black furred variety of the Kamchatka bear. Bergman, who had spent two years studying the wildlife of the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia, noted that the pelt was far beyond the size of other bears found in the area. The hair covering the skin were short, in contrast with the long hair associated with normal bears of the Kamchatka Peninsula.
Bergman also described huge paw prints that he found in the area measuring 14.5 inches by 10 inches suggesting a monstrous bear he called Ursus arctos piscator, more commonly referred to as Bergman’s Bear.
Other[]
However, some suggest that Bergman’s Bear may be alive and well living in remote areas of Kamchatka. In Bears of the World, published in 1988, author Terry Domico observes that a vast majority of the Kamchatka Peninsula has been closed off since the cold war for military reasons.
A former Soviet official who had access to the area told Domico that black giant bears were still reported in the region.
Interest in the bear was revitalized in the 1960s. Hunter Rodion Sivolobov reported claims by Kamchatka natives of an unusually large bear they called either the Irkuiem (roughly meaning "trousers pulled down" due to the appearance of the bear's hind legs), or the "God bear" due to its large size.