grizzly bear

grizzly bear, (subspecies Ursus arctos horribilis), common name for one of the brown bears (Ursus arctos) belonging to the subspecies U. arctos horribilis. The grizzly bear is a massive animal with humped shoulders and an elevated forehead that contributes to a somewhat concave profile. The fur is brownish to buff, and the hairs are usually silver- or pale-tipped, giving the grizzled effect for which the bear is named. The term grizzly bear, however, is often applied informally to brown bears of North America regardless of subspecies.

Large adult grizzlies may be about 2.5 metres (8 feet) long and weigh about 410 kg (900 pounds). Because of their bulk and their long straight claws, grizzly bears rarely climb trees. They are, however, surprisingly agile and can run as fast as 56 km (35 miles) per hour over short distances. Their eyesight is poor, and they have been known to attack humans without evident provocation. Females with cubs are the most aggressive.

Omnivorous animals, grizzlies feed on berries, plant roots and shoots, small mammals, fish, calves of many hoofed animals, and carrion. Food is often cached in shallow holes, and grizzlies dig readily and vigorously in search of rodents. Each spring the bear marks the boundary of its territory by rubbing trees, scratching bark, or even biting large pieces from the trunks of trees. During late summer and autumn, grizzlies accumulate large amounts of fat and then retire to dens in winter. Cubs, most often twins, are usually born in January or February after about six to eight months of gestation.

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Grizzlies once ranged through forested and open regions of western North America from Alaska to Mexico. Formerly living across the Great Plains, the grizzly bear has been the subject of many Native American legends and was one of the mammals reported by Lewis and Clark in their journey through eastern Montana in 1804. Grizzlies remain numerous in Alaska and Canada, where they continue to be highly prized as big game. In the continental United States, however, fewer than 1,500 remain, and they are protected by law.

Kodiak bears (U. arctos middendorffi), which inhabit Alaska’s Kodiak Island and nearby islands, are sometimes called grizzlies because of their superficial physical similarities to grizzly bears. However, Kodiak bears are larger in size, and the ranges of Kodiak bears and grizzly bears do not overlap. Similarly, American black bears (U. americanus) are sometimes mistaken for grizzly bears because their colour is sometimes brown in the western parts of their range.