Grizzly Bear - Ursus arctos - Photos, Video, Facts

The grizzly bear is a large predator that is different from black bears due to a distinctive hump on its shoulders. Grizzly bears have concave faces and long claws about the length of a human finger. Their coloration is usually darkish brown but can vary from very light cream to black. The long guard hairs on their backs and shoulders often have white tips and give the bears a "grizzled" appearance, hence the name "grizzly." The correct scientific name for the species is “brown bear”, but only coastal bears in Alaska and Canada are referred to as such, while inland bears and those found in the lower 48 states are called grizzly bears.

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Diet

Grizzly bears are omnivorous and will eat both vegetation and animals. Grasses, sedges, roots, berries, insects, fish, carrion and small and large mammals.

In some areas grizzly bears eat moose, caribou and elk, in others they eat salmon. Grizzly bear diet varies depending on what foods are available in that particular season.

Population

Historically, there were around 50,000 grizzly bears in North America. Today, there are 1,000 - 1,200 grizzly bears remaining in five separate populations in the lower 48 states. In Alaska, there are thought to be over 30,000 grizzly bears.

Range

Grizzly bears are found in a variety of habitats, from dense forests, to subalpine meadows and arctic tundra. In North America, grizzly bears are found in western Canada, Alaska, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Washington. Historically, they could be found from Alaska to Mexico, California to Ohio. The grizzly bear was once common on the Great Plains. However, human encroachment has forced the remaining brown bear populations to move to rugged mountains and remote forests that are undisturbed by humans. See a grizzly bear range map >>

Behavior

Bears live solitary lives except during breeding, cub rearing, and in areas with a super-abundant food supply such as salmon streams. Grizzly bears hibernate during the winter for 5-8 months, and usually dig their dens on north-facing slopes to ensure good snow cover.

Grizzly bears need to eat a lot in the summer and fall in order to build up sufficient fat reserves for surviving the denning period. This is particularly true for pregnant females who give birth to one pound cubs and then nurse them to about 20 pounds before emerging from the den in April -May.

Reproduction
Mating Season: Early May through mid-July
Gestation: 63-70 days
Litter Size: 1-3 cubs
The young are born in January or February while the mothers are hibernating in a den. Cubs will remain with their mothers for at least 2 - 4 years.

Threats

Once common throughout the mountains and the Great Plains the grizzly bear (or brown bear) has been reduced to 2% of their historic range in the lower 48 states. A total of only 1,200-1,400 individuals still survive in five populations. For thirty years, Defenders has been actively involved in trying to make sure that this remarkable animal is recovered throughout its range.

The biggest threat to grizzly bear survival in the lower 48 is human-caused mortality. Bears come into conflict with humans when they are attracted by garbage, pet foods and bird food. This can often lead to the lethal removal of the bear. In addition, some brown bears are accidentally killed by hunters who mistake them for black bears, which are legal to hunt. And lastly, illegal killing (poaching) of bears remains another reason for their decline. Another threat is habitat degradation due to development, logging, road-building and energy and mineral exploration.

Reasons For Hope

Defenders of Wildlife created the Defenders of Wildlife Grizzly Compensation Trust in 1997 to compensate ranchers for livestock losses to grizzlies. In 1999 Defenders of Wildlife went a step further by starting a fund to promote proactive initiatives to prevent conflicts between bears and humans, like installing bear-resistant garbage dumpsters and electric fences.

By focusing on conservation efforts that keep bears alive and encourage habitat sustainability, Defenders is working to achieve a healthy, resilient grizzly population throughout the West. Learn more about the Defenders of Wildlife Grizzly Compensation Trust >>

Legal Status/Protection

• Endangered Species Act (ESA): In 1975, The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the grizzly bear as a threatened species in the Lower 48 states, under the Endangered Species Act. In Alaska, where there are estimated to be over 30,000 grizzly bears, they are classified as a game animal with regionally established regulations. The Yellowstone population of grizzly bears was declared recovered and removed from the threatened species list in April of 2007.
• CITES: Brown bears are listed in Appendices I and II, depending on the population. More plentiful populations are listed in Appendix II, while certain low populations are listed in Appendix I.
• Learn more about legal status and protection of grizzly bears >>

How You Can Help

• Help Grizzly bears and other wildlife by adopting one today at our Wildlife Adoption Center.
• Take Action for Wildlife at our Wildlife Action Center.

For additional information

• Visit Defenders' Imperiled Species: Grizzly Bear pages for more information about what Defenders is doing to help.
• U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
• Watch SeeMoreHD.com's high definition video footage of grizzly bears.