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Scientific Name:
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Ursus Arctos Horribilis
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Classification:
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Phylum Chordata, Class Mammalia, Order Carnivora, Family Ursidae
Genus Ursus,
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Status:
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Brown bears are now extinct in some areas, and have had their numbers greatly reduced in others.
The Grizzly is listed as threatened in the U.S.
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Range:
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The range of the brown bear is the widest of any species of bear in the world. They are found in northern Europe and Asia and western North America. In North America, brown bears are found in western Canada, Alaska, and in the states of Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Washington.
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Habitat:
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Brown bears occupy a wide range of habitats including dense forests, sub-alpine mountain areas, and tundra. They were once abundant on the central plains of North America, but have since been exterminated. Favorite foraging areas are the alpine meadows and rocky slopes above 2000 meters.
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Diet:
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Although they are classified as carnivores, brown bears derive about 75% of their food energy from vegetable matter. They eat berries, roots, sprouts, fungi, fish, insects and small animals.
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Size:
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The length ranges from six to ten feet long, with a shoulder height of three to four feet.
They weigh from 300 to 1700 pounds.
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Lifespan:
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Bears live from 20 to 25 years in the wild.
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Location:
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Special Features:
- Grizzlies may weigh up to twice as much in fall as in spring because of the reserves of fat they store for winter
- Brown bears are very good diggers. They have a large hump of muscle over their shoulders which gives strength to their forelimbs.
- There are about 200,000 brown bears in the world. Russia has the largest population with 120,000. · These bears are not true hibernators. Even though they sleep through much of the winter, they can be awakened easily. In late fall they become very lethargic. They like to den up in a protected spot, such as a cave, crevice or hollow log during the winter months. Usually the den site terrain is sloping. As snow falls it covers and helps to insulate the den. The entrance to the den leads to a tunnel that slopes downward to the actual sleeping chamber. This allows stale air to escape. The dens are lined with soft dirt or leaves.
- Grizzlies are not particularly vocal, but they can champ, smack their jaws, woof, growl and even roar when they are angry. Females and cubs may make a humming sound when they are content.
- In general, brown bears will flee as soon as they detect humans.
- Army cutworm moths are a major source of food for grizzlies in the summer months. These moths congregate on plants located above the timberline. During the early morning hours they drink nectar and then during the day they cluster on the surrounding rocks. Grizzlies from all around climb to these high elevations to devour the moths. Grizzlies can eat up to 20,000 moths in one day.
Social Structure & Behavior:
Under most circumstances, brown bears live as lone individuals, except for females accompanied by their cubs. During the breeding season, a male may attend a female for up to two weeks for mating.
Despite their tendency for a solitary existence, brown bears congregate at high densities where food is abundant, such as at salmon streams or garbage dumps. In such circumstances, adult males are the most dominant individuals.
Breeding and Care of Young:
Both the male and female have several mates. Females breed only every two or three years. They have litters of one to four cubs. Mating takes place from late May to early June. The cubs are born while the female is in her den in the winter. Cubs are about one pound, blind, and nearly hairless when born. They usually spend at least 18 months with their mother, sometimes up to 2½ years. Mature males tend to be hostile towards cubs, so mothers try to avoid them by frequenting rougher terrain and higher elevation. Female grizzlies carry their cubs by holding their whole head in their mouths with the body dangling.
Threats to Survival: Habitat loss to ranching and logging, hunting, body parts for folk medicine.
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