Brown bears are usually solitary animals. Occasionally though, bears may gather to feed at salmon-rich fishing spots. Another exception to their solitary lifestyle is that of females with their cubs. The mother bear remains with her bear cubs until the cubs are ready for independence (2 to 3 years of age).
Brown bears are more active in the morning and evening and often rest during the day. Seasonal activity of brown bears varies depending on where they live. Bears excavate dens in sheltered ground (such as on a slope or behind a large rock) in which they sleep and during the winter months can enter a deep sleep and their body temperature can drop several degrees.
- Mass: 80-600kg (176 to 1320lbs)
- Diet: brown bears are omnivorous; their diet includes fish, mammals, carrion, invertebrates, and plant matter such as leaves, roots, nuts, and fruit
- Mating Season: May–July
- Gestation Period: 180 to 266 days
- Number of Offspring: usually 1 to 4 cubs (usually 2)
Classification:
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Mammalia
- Order: Carnivora
- Family: Ursidae
- Genus: Ursus
- Species: Ursus arctos
The Species Ursus arctos includes the following subgroups:- Subspecies: Ursus arctos formicarius (Carpathian bear)
- Subspecies: Ursus arctos arctos (European brown bear)
- Subspecies: Ursus arctos gobiensis (Gobi bear)
- Subspecies: Ursus arctos horribilis (grizzly bear)
- Subspecies: Ursus arctos isabellinus (Himalayan brown bear)
- Subspecies: Ursus arctos yesoensis (Hokkaido brown bear)
- Subspecies: Ursus arctos piscivorus (Kamchatka bear)
- Subspecies: Ursus arctos middendorffi (Kodiak bear)
- Subspecies: Ursus arctos marsicanus (Marsican bear)
- Subspecies: Ursus arctos nelsoni (Mexican grizzly bear)
- Subspecies: Ursus arctos beringianus (Siberian brown bear)
- Subspecies: Ursus arctos syriacus (Syrian brown bear)
- Subspecies: Ursus arctos pruinosusm (Tibetan blue bear)
- Subspecies: Ursus arctos lasiotus (Ussuri brown bear)
There are many conflicting classification schemes for brown bears and consequently the number of subspecies varies widely (ranging from as few as five to as many as 90). The list above contains some of the more commonly recognized subspecies.
Range and Habitat:
Brown bears live in a variety of habitats including boreal forests, alpine forests and meadows, tundra, and coastal regions. Their range is the most extensive of all bears and includes northern and central Europe, Asia, Alaska, Canada, and the western United States (with populations in the Sierra Nevada and Rockies).
References:
- Burnie D, Wilson DE. 2001. Animal. London: Dorling Kindersley. 624 p./li]
- Dewey T, Ballenger L. 2002. Ursus arctos. Animal Diversity Web. December 04, 2007.
