A brown bear, scientific name Ursus arctos, is a bear from the family of mammals, which is probably the most commonly found and well-known bear of its species. These bears are different from others.
There are more than 80 subspecies of brown bear which belong to the subcategory of Ursus arctos itself. They are popular in North America by the name of grizzly bears. You can find these brown bears in the mountainous and forest regions of various continents like North America, Europe, and Asia.
These large animals, irrespective of their size, are not at all ferocious. They hardly come anywhere near humans.
These solitary animals are not territorial except on some specific occasions. The Alaskan fishing spots are known for bear conglomeration. Such a group is known as sloth and, at times, sleuth.
Brown bears are known for their love for hibernation. In the winters, they tend to dig up dens for themselves or find a cave.
Brown bear cubs are extremely cute, and within a litter of cubs, there are at least two or three babies. The grizzly bear or the Kodiak bear are some of its well-known subspecies. The polar bear or Ursus maritimus is one of its closest relatives.
Read on for more brown bear facts for kids and adults. For more interesting animal facts, also check out our articles on Sun Bear and Russian Bear dog.
Brown Bear Interesting Facts
What type of animal is a brown bear?
As indicated by the name, a brown bear (Ursus arctos) is a bear that belongs to the family of Ursidae. They are the largest of their kind. This species is widely noticed in many parts of the world.
It is considered the national animal in a few states of Europe, Asia, and North America. These animals hate winter due to the extreme cold weather. A brown bear’s shoulder hump and large claws make them different from other bear species.
What class of animal does a brown bear belong to?
A brown bear is an animal that belongs to the Mammalia class under the Animalia kingdom.
How many brown bears are there in the world?
In the world, the total population of brown bears is estimated to be more than 200,000. The most abundant population of brown bears is in Russia.
This country has more than 100,000 of them. In North America, especially in the USA, there are some 1000 grizzly bears that can be found to date. In regions like Alaska or Canada, the population of grizzly bears are quite high, and maybe more than 30,000 in the mountainous areas.
Where does a brown bear live?
The favorite habitat of a brown bear is either the desert fringes, mountainous areas, and forests. They prefer the dense cover of forests which makes them feel safe. They feel less exposed during the day. Brown bears can be seen in the mountain woodlands of Europe.
The Siberian brown bears have their own preference. They dwell mainly in the forests. In North America, grizzly bears are more common in the alpine meadows. They also prefer the coastlines and tundra regions in North America.
What is a brown bear's habitat?
When it comes to brown bear habitat facts, brown bears do not seem to have any altitudinal preferences. They are noticed from the sea level to the high mountains. They have an inclination towards areas with dense vegetative cover.
This cover provides them shelter and security both. They also seem to prefer semi-open or open spaces like the coastlines and the Tundra regions.
In North America, brown bears mostly dwell in these two regions. Brown bears can be of different types depending on the region of their habitat. There is the Eurasian brown bear, Himalayan brown bear, Alaskan brown bear, European brown bear, and Syrian brown bear.
Who do brown bears live with?
Brown bears are solitary creatures who prefer to live alone. There are certain special situations when they tend to live together.
These include when the females live together with their cubs if there is a gathering near the fishing areas. Brown bears, or rather any bears, love to roam around large areas of land. But they are not at all territorial.
How long does a brown bear live?
In the wild, the brown bear lifespan is up to 20 or 30 years. But when kept in captivity, they tend to die earlier. When they are held in zoos or any other form of imprisonment, their lifespan reduces by at least 10 or 15 years.
How do they reproduce?
Want some brown bear facts about reproduction? Female brown bears reach the age of breeding maturity when they are almost 4-9 years of age.
Their mating season is between June and July. There is usually a fight between the various males for mating. The males stand guard over the females for about one to three weeks.
When the mother bear begins her winter hibernation, she begins to develop the embryo. For the embryo's implantation, it is essential that the mother bear has developed enough fat for both her and the cubs' sustenance.
The gestation period among brown bears usually lasts about 180 to 270 days. The females give birth during their winter rest period in a den.
The average litter size of a brown bear is two or three. The mother stays with her cubs for two or three years. These cubs are blind and toothless at their birth, but their growth spurt takes place soon.
What is their conservation status?
The population status of brown bears is considered to be comparatively stable. They are marked by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) as 'Least Concern.' However, they are also given a high level of priority for conservation.
Brown Bear Fun Facts
What do brown bears look like?
Brown bears are distinguishable from the black bears of America and from the polar bears owing to their unique shoulder hump. These bears have a dish-shaped face and a black nose.
They have extremely large bodies and long claws on their powerful forearms. They can vary in shade from brown to black and even tan with extremely furry skin.
In rare cases, the skin color of these bears can be cream, too. The brown grizzly bears of North America have distinguished long hair on their back and shoulders, which often get frosted white.
How cute are they?
Brown bears are very cute to look at irrespective of their large size. Their cubs are even cuter and playful.
How do they communicate?
Among the community of brown bears, the social interactions are relatively less, rather rare. So the communication between them is also quite less. The major forms of communication between brown bears are through sound, smell, and movement. There are numerous types of vocalizations through which they express their emotions.
These include growls, grunts, and moans. They growl when there is a potential threat nearby or if they are angry. Marking territory with scents is another form of communication they share.
How big is a brown bear?
The average length of male brown bears is 189-274 cm, which is similar to the range of 72-108 inches. Similarly, females' average length is 152-244 cm, which is similar to the range of 60-96 inches.
This makes them at least three times larger than an Irish wolfhound and at least six times larger than the giant Amazonian leech. Brown bears can have an average height between 150-280 cm, which is equal to the range of 59-110 inches.
This makes them at least eight times taller than a pygmy hog and at least six times taller than a cat. The brown bear size is impressive and definitely not to be messed with.
How fast can a brown bear run?
Brown bears are considered to be extremely fast runners. They can catch up to a speed of 48 kph to 64 kph, which is similar to the range of 30 mph to 40 mph. This speed makes them equal to the speed of a healthy Greyhound.
How much does a brown bear weigh?
The average brown bear weight is between 136-390 kg. This is similar to the brown bear range of 300-860 lb. This makes them three times heavier than a male wolf and almost two times heavier than a tiger.
What are their male and female names of the species?
Just like other bear species, a male brown bear is called a boar. The female brown bears are called a sow.
What would you call a baby brown bear?
A baby brown bear is called a cub. This brown bear cub name goes for both the female babies and the male babies.
What do they eat?
Brown bears are sometimes thought of as some dangerous carnivorous predators when in reality, they are omnivores. Their diet is like other rodents. Plants and roots form a major chunk of their food. They eat nuts, leaves, fruits, berries, meat, various insects, and so on.
However, their most favorite food is fish, like salmon, and they also relish the fat from fishes. This fat enables them to sustain long hibernation periods. Brown bears can intake as much as 90 pounds of food each day.
Are they dangerous?
In general, brown bears are not dangerous to humans. They do not attack others if not necessary.
If given a chance and opportunity, they will move away from human proximity rather than attacking them. But in case the cubs are in danger, brown bears will attack humans without a doubt. In case of such an attack, you will surely be in danger.
Would they make a good pet?
Brown bears should not be kept as pets. They are not domestic animals and being wild, and they hardly see humans as their friends. If they are angered, then your life might be in danger.
Did you know...
Brown bear is considered to be a predator in many cases. They own some long nasty claws, which can kill animals in an instant.
There are not many cases where a brown bear could kill a tiger. There are only scattered cases where bears have killed tiger cubs or tigresses. An interesting fact about a brown bear is that it nearly doubles its weight during the winter months.
Brown bear hibernation facts are also interesting to note. During the winter season, these mammals go into a hibernation phase in a protected den.
Some bears even dig out a den or use a cave for hibernation. It is very hard to wake them when they are in such a phase! Among unique facts about brown bears, one is that the brown bears of Alaska have a special characteristic to store food.
They dig 'belly holes'! The giant belly they can have, the more food, like fish or plant roots, they can hold.
Will a brown bear attack a human?
No, brown bears hardly attack humans. They try their best to avoid the proximity of humans. But, if they are in danger or feel that their cubs are threatened, they will not think twice before attacking.
In case bears get angry, then also they will attack a human. It is often noted that humans surprise these animals, especially when the mother and cubs are together. In this case, they feel endangered and attack a fellow human.
Are brown bears endangered?
To date, brown bears are not considered to be endangered. According to the IUCN list, they are tagged as Least Concern. There are approximately more than 200,000 brown bears that roam freely in this world.
These animals are continuously threatened by humans, owing to activities like poaching. Other predators like wolves are also a threat to them. If they are continually poached for their body parts, or also as a sport, then surely shortly, they will be on the verge of extinction.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other mammals including tenrec, or plains zebra.
You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our brown bear coloring pages.
