Chukotka and Kamchatka

Irkuyem is a mysterious brown bear of unusually large size, allegedly living in remote corners of Chukotka and Kamchatka, and some researchers add Alaska and the northwestern regions of Canada to the range.

It differs from ordinary brown bears not only in size and weight (according to various descriptions, from 500 to 1500 kg), but also in physique. The irkuyem has long forelegs and short hind legs, plus a kind of "chicken" in the back of the body, after which it got its name from the Koryaks — "dragging pants".

And the fur of the irkuyem is much lighter than that of ordinary local bears. And then there's the character. The animal is more aggressive and pugnacious than an ordinary bear. But he can't get away from hunters in time because of the peculiarities of the anatomy.

In the 1920s, Swedish zoologist Sten Bergman became seriously interested in irkuyem. After studying the skin that came to him, the scientist announced that he had discovered a new bear — Ursus arctos piscator. The animal received the unofficial name "Bergman bear". But after some time, the discovery was questioned, and new convincing evidence of its existence could not be found then.