Common Name:
Grizzly bear
Scientific Name:
Ursus arctos horribilis
Unique Qualities:
The grizzly is the second largest terrestrial North American carnivore, after the polar bear. The average male grizzly bear weighs about 250–350 kg and the female weighs about half of that. One of their unique features is that they have extremely long front claws.
Can be Seen:
Grizzlies live in northern Canada, through Alaska, the Rocky Mountains and in small pockets in Washington, Montana, Wyoming and Idaho.
Likes to Hang Out:
Grizzly bears have large home ranges relative to most other bear species. They can be seen in alpine (mountainous), tundra (treeless area in the Arctic with a permanently frozen subsoil), or forested habitats.
Likes to Eat:
Grizzly bears are not just meat-eaters! They are generally omnivorous (eating both plants and animals) with plants making up 80 – 90 per cent of their diet. You may have seen grizzlies catch salmon from a river on TV but they mainly rely on vegetation for food, especially berries. Berries are the most important item in the bears' diet because they give bears the fat deposits necessary for survival through the denning (hibernation) period. Some examples of berries that grizzly bears like include buffalo berries, blueberries, huckleberries, cranberries, saskatoons and crowberries.
Status:
Grizzly bears have been extirpated from the prairies, and are listed by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) as a "special concern" in other areas of Canada. In the U.S., their habitat is threatened by logging, mining, human development and illegal hunting.
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