Brown Bear

Bears are omnivores, eating plant and meat items that vary depending on the season. In the summer they will consume berries, during fish spawning season, many fish will be caught, and will also dig for tubers with their claws. Trout and salmon provide a lot of nutrients to help them put on weight for the approaching winter months.

Brown bears once lived in parts of western North America, including northern Mexico, the Ungava Peninsula, throughout Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and across North Africa. A history of prolonged overexploitation in Europe stretching back centuries resulted in the elimination of brown bears from many countries. Now, brown bears are found in small and isolated numbers from Western Europe and Palestine to eastern Siberia and the Himalayan region, possibly the Atlas Mountains of northwest Africa, and Hokkaido. The largest numbers of brown bears are currently found in Russia, Alaska, and western Canada.

Brown bears occupy habitats, from desert edges to high mountain forests and ice fields. In North America, they prefer tundra, alpine meadows, and coastlines. In Siberia, brown bears inhabit primarily forests, while European populations are restricted mainly to mountain woodlands. The main habitat requirement for brown bears is some area with dense cover in which they can shelter by day.

Other brown bears, Humans

The breeding season is from April to July, but the blastocyst does not implant until late autumn, a phenomenon called delayed implantation. Brown bears give birth to one to three hairless, toothless and blind cubs during their winter sleep.

The claws on their front paws are usually very visible, they are white and extend out and down over their fur. You can always tell a brown bear by the large hump of muscle it has above its shoulder blades—black bears do not have that hump.

Brown Bears vocalize eleven different sounds, including deep low grunts, clicking, huffing, loud roar, and growling. They can also communicate through body language and scent marking.

Brown bears dig very well using their powerful front legs and claws. They are mostly solitary animals but when a food source is plentiful, several bears will often come together in the same area. Brown bears’ social structure helps them to establish who gets the best eating spots when they are grouped together. All species of brown bears sleep four to six months during the winter, spending the spring and summer eating enough to get them through this time. While not true hibernation (the bear’s body temperature does not drop significantly), the bears’ heart rate slows to only ten beats per minute, their metabolism slows, and they do not urinate or defecate while sleeping.