- Grizzly bears, also known as brown bears, are predominantly found in North America
- Some species can also be found in Northern China, Korea, and Russia and are called Eurasian brown bears.
- Adult male grizzly bears can weigh more than 500 kilograms
- An Adult male grizzly is up to twice the weight of a female grizzly of the same age range
- Their scientific name is Ursus arctos
- They are part of the order Carnivora and part of the Ursidae family.
- They have a concaved or dish-shaped face with very high brows
- Grizzly bears have short ears, short tails, and a rump lower than their shoulders. This is one of the features that separate them from black bears.
- Mature grizzly bears are apex predators in their home range
- Their home range is situated where there are plenty of rivers, streams, and sometimes fruit-bearing trees
- The actual weight of grizzly bears fluctuates and depends on the time of the season.
- Female bears are more miniature than male bears (they are just about 60% of an adult male grizzly bear size).
- Grizzlies have a life span of more than 30 years.
- Grizzly bears have different coat colors, such as dark brown, silvery, and light brown coats.
- Grizzly bears have long, sharp claws designed to help them to forage and dig.
- Grizzly bears are omnivorous animals, although berries and nuts comprise approximately 80% of their nutrition.
- They eat insects, especially bees, ants, moths, and ladybugs
- There have been accounts of grizzly bears covering their tracks from hunters
- Male grizzly bears eat more meat than female grizzly bears.
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- Grizzly bear meat consumption comes from tiny animals and rodents, although bears can sometimes bring down big animals if needed.
- The IUCN red list considers brown bears as the slightest concern.
- There are approximately 55,000 grizzly bears in North America
- There are about 15,000 grizzly bears in Canada alone
- The Alaskan province has the highest population of grizzly bears, with a population of 30,000
- Grizzly bears are good at spotting rodent holes
- Grizzly bears can climb very well as cubs. Once mature, they rarely attempt to rise because of their claws.
- Grizzly bears have sharp eyesight and can even see better than humans in some lights.
- They recognize shapes but not too many details.
- Grizzly bears can walk on their back feet in a manner like humans
- Grizzly bears have fur on their body but have hairs on their shoulders. The hair on their backs has white tips, which give them grizzled looks
- A mature grizzly bear’s height is about 3 or 4 feet when on four legs. However, when it stands on its back feet, its height is about 8 ft
- The hump on its back can recognize grizzly bears. The hump is made of muscle. This is one way to distinguish it from a Black bear
- Most grizzly bears hibernate for about 5 to 8 months every year, usually during winter
- Growling, roaring, and snorting are some of the ways grizzly bears communicate
- When in captivity and not getting exercise as usual, a grizzly bear can weigh up to 1400 pounds.
- Grizzlies have dens where they stay for the period of their hibernation
- Grizzly bears can gain more than 150kg by feeding before hibernating
- Grizzly bears do not eat, urinate or defecate during the entirety of their hibernation period
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- They look around when people or animals are near. They do this not because they can’t see but because they want a strong smell of the animal or person in the air.
- The length of a mature grizzly bear’s front claws is about 2 – 4 inches
- There are very few predators that can hunt or harm grizzly cubs
- Mature Grizzly bears have no predators (except human beings)
- When fighting or defending, grizzlies stand upright on their back to make themselves larger
- Grizzly bears run extremely fast for short distances
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- Adult male grizzly bear usually subjects grizzly cubs to depredation, and unless protected by a female grizzly (sow), they can be killed by wolves, cougars, and other predators.
- Grizzly bears only move together or congregate when a significant amount of food is present in a particular location.
- Male brown bears are usually solitary animals. Only the sows move together with their cubs for a period.
- Grizzly bears are scavengers and can feed on carcasses if necessary.
- The bears also eat cooked human food as well as garbage. They can also kill humans for food, but it is not very common.
- Grizzly cubs stay with their mothers for about 2 to 3 years or 2 to 3 summer seasons.
- Female Grizzly bears do not mate when they are still caring for their cubs
- Grizzly cubs feed only on their mother’s milk till the end of winter. They eat small solid foods together when summer begins while still drinking milk.
- Grizzly bears do not mark territory that they defend
- They rest a lot to conserve energy and eat to prepare for hibernation
- Grizzly bears prefer salmon as their protein source but can also eat meat if they have no access to fish
- Brown bears do not have multi-chambered stomachs even though they eat plant fibers like ruminants such as cows and elks
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- Grizzlies are very good at catching fish. They enter shallow waters to see salmons.
- Grizzlies only allow other bears into their home range when there is plenty of food (salmon spawn season).
- When they are about to hibernate, brown bears eat more than 25 fish per day. They do this to gain as much fat as possible for the upcoming winter.
- During hibernation, grizzly bears’ metabolic process and heart rate slow down to conserve fat reserves.
- A grizzly bear’s heartbeat slows to 8 beats per minute from its usual 40 bpm during hibernation.
- Grizzlies can recycle their body wastes during hibernation
- Even when hibernating, grizzly bears can wake up when they want and even move around at times
- Some grizzly bears do not hibernate because they live in an area where food is available all year round
- Grizzly bears always wait for snowfall to camouflage their den from predators before hibernating
- Grizzly bears have their mating season from May to July.
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- They are ready for mating once they are about five years of age
- Male Grizzly bears usually find it challenging to track female grizzles because of the low population of females
- Brown bears have a gestation period of 180 to 250 days
- Grizzly bears are one of the few terrestrial mammals in North America with low reproductive rates
- Brown bears can breed with other bears, such as polar bears and the North American black bears
- Cross-bred hybrid bears are scarce
- Female Grizzly bears delay embryo implantation until they are about to hibernate
- Miscarriages happen in grizzly bears when they do not gain enough weight before hibernation.
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- Brown bears give birth to an average of two cubs
- A sow will attack anything it feels threatens her cub, even grizzly bears and other predators that are bigger than her.
- Cubs are born when the sow is in hibernation in a winter den
- It takes six weeks after childbirth for a cub to open their eyes
- Female Grizzlies live longer than their male counterparts. This is because male bears incur a lot of injuries when fighting
- A group of grizzly bears is referred to as a sleuth or sloth of bears, possibly because of their hibernation state
- Childbirths always occur between January and March every year.
- Female grizzles urinate behind their back legs, while male grizzles urinate in front of their back legs.
- Female Grizzly bears always avoid their cubs once they chase them away after weaning.
- Grizzly bears participate in seasonal breeding fights before mating
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- Grizzly bears occasionally enter black bears’ territory to raid for food such as nuts and berries, although black bears always stay out of domains owned by grizzly bears
- Black bears usually run when they see grizzly bears unless the grizzly is a small one
- Grizzly bears act as seed distributors and carriers for fruit-bearing plants.
- Screaming or shouting after suddenly encountering a grizzly bear will only prompt it to attack
- Female grizzlies defending their cubs are responsible for about 70% of all humans killed by grizzly bears.
- Grizzlies usually avoid human contact and rarely engage with humans unless they defend their food source or cubs.
- Grizzly bears are skilled swimmers
- Brown bears can run more than 48 km/hr (30 mph)
- Brown bears have a well-developed sense of smell. Their smell detection is even better than that of hound dogs.
- Captive grizzlies have a life span of up to 40 years.
- Adult grizzlies possess large, heavily built skulls
- Grizzly bears can smell food even if it is more than 5 kilometers away
- A grizzly bear’s jaw is powerful and can crush a man’s head. Reports even estimate that a grizzly can crush a bowling ball with its jaws
- Ursus arctos hornbills also mean horrible bear, a reference to their vast and massive size
- Compared to the coastal brown bears, Alaska Peninsular brown bears are smaller
- For 101 facts on weasels, click here.
- Grizzly bears leave DNA samples of themselves on trees referred to as “rub trees.” The bears use these trees to scratch their back
- Brown bears have an impressive memory and never forget where their best food source is
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Down from the mountain: The life and death of a grizzly bear – This is a fantastic book about Millie and her life struggles this book enough. You can buy it here on Amazon.
Grizzly bears: A falcon field guide – Falcon field guides are fantastic guides, and this one is no exception. Although only 96 pages, this packs a wealth of information on brown bears. If you are looking for grizzly bears, this guide is a must-have. You can buy it here on Amazon.
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