Brown Bear

Brown Bear, any member of a species of northern bear, the widest ranging of all bear species. Several subspecies range throughout wilderness areas in North America, Europe, and Asia.

Although the name grizzly bear is sometimes used to refer to all brown bears, grizzly actually refers to one subspecies in the northwestern interior of North America. Members of the subspecies that range throughout coastal Alaska and western Canada are known as Kodiak bears; those on Alaska’s Kodiak Archipelago are also called Kodiak bears. On the Eurasian land mass, brown bears extend from Norway to the Siberian peninsula and as far south as Greece and Iraq.

Brown bears have large, plantigrade feet (heel and sole touching the ground) and five long claws on their front paws to aid in digging. They may be almost black or very light beige; a few brown bears are pure white. The grizzly bear has deep chocolate brown fur with silver tips. The Kodiak bear is uniformly brown and usually has a ruff of longer hair that makes the head look larger.

Brown bears, along with polar bears, are the largest of the bear species. Brown bears range in weight from 95 to 780 kg (209 to 1716 lb), and adult males generally weigh more than adult females. Kodiak bears, which often feed on salmon, weigh more than 440 kg (970 lb); many males weigh more than 700 kg (1540 lb). Grizzly bears, with a diet of berries, vegetation, and small mammals, are smaller than Kodiak bears. Depending on habitat, the average weight of grizzlies varies from 150 to 360 kg (330 to 794 lb) in Alaska and British Columbia, 95 to 139 kg (209 to 306 lb) in the Yukon Territory, and 102 to 324 kg (224 to 714 lb) in Yellowstone National Park.

Males and females are together only during the breeding season (May to June), but family groups may stay together for two to three years. Brown bears generally inhabit open areas, including the plains and the tundra. They may remain dormant without eating for up to seven months, usually at high elevations in dens or caves. During this dormant period, they are lethargic and less sensitive to danger. Their temperature declines only slightly, but their respiration and heart rate drop dramatically. When active, they eat enormous amounts of fish, berries, and succulent plants, sometimes consuming 40 kg (90 lb) of food per day.

Females have their first young at five to seven years old. They normally give birth to two cubs, skipping three to four years between litters. They can reproduce until almost 30 years of age, but few survive beyond the age of 20.

Brown bears make a loud roar when injured, but normally warn other bears and people by huffing, or making chomping or clacking sounds with their teeth. They almost always avoid confrontations with people. In most of their range, brown bears are relatively secure, although habitat losses pose a threat.

Scientific classification: Brown bears belong to the family Ursidae in the order Carnivora. They are classified as Ursus arctos. The grizzly bear is classified as Ursus arctos horribilis and the Kodiak bear as Ursus arctos middendorfii.

Contributed By:
Charles Joseph Jonkel

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