Brown Bear Introduction
Scientific Name: Ursus Arctos, which literally means “Bear (Latin) Bear (Greek)”
Brown bears are a large bear species found in North America and Eurasia. They are closely related to polar bears and together they are the largest living land carnivores.
Despite their name, brown bears are not necessarily brown. They have long thick fur with a mane at the back of the neck. In North America they can range from cream to almost black, in China, they are bi-coloured with a light collar around their neck, chest and shoulders whilst in India, they can be reddish with silver-tipped hairs.
The different sub-species of brown bear can be confusing but in North America, there are generally considered to be three brown bear sub-species: the Grizzly bear, Coastal Brown Bear and Kodiak Bear. Although they are all part of the same species, there are some differences…
Brown Bear Sub-Species
Grizzly Bears are North American brown bears that live away from the coast and therefore do not have a marine diet. They get their name from their typical colouration. The hairs on their back are usually cream at the tip and very dark brown at the base which gives them their distinctive grizzled colour.
They generally live in dense forests, alpine meadows and mountain valleys and have a very varied diet consisting of plants, worms, moths, dandelions, trout and meat. They will scavenge wolf kills and will also prey on elk and bison calves.
Coastal Brown bears, unsurprisingly, are brown bear that lives on the coast. Their diet consists of a lot of marine food and fish. They have a fatty salmon-rich diet but will supplement the salmon with clams, roots and berries but vegetation makes up a much smaller proportion of their diet than for Grizzlies. This means that they tend to grow bigger than grizzlies.
Despite their larger size, because there is less competition for food than inland, it is suggested that the coastal brown bears are less aggressive than grizzly bears and less likely to attack other bears or humans. Also as food is much easier to come by, coastal brown bears tend not to spend energy chasing down other mammals such as the elk and bison that grizzly bears do.
The Kodiak bear is a coastal brown bear that lives on the Kodiak Island Archipelago in Alaska and has been isolated from other populations of brown bears for around 12,000 years. They have a large bone structure and are on average the largest bears in the world. The large males can grow up to 750 to 800 Kg and can stand over 3m tall on their hind legs.
There are currently around 3,500 Kodiak bears on the archipelago and due to the relatively pristine habitat, healthy fish stocks and low population density the population is healthy and stable. Also due to the low human population and the generally peaceful nature of the coastal brown bears, only one person has been killed by Kodiak bears in the last 75 years. (hunters kill around 180 Kodiak bears a year).
The Marsican Brown Bear is a critically endangered population of bears located in the Parco Nazionale D’Abruzzo in Italy. They differ slightly from other brown bears in terms of appearance and hibernation.
These bears have developed in isolation from other brown bears and they have a much calmer temperament, showing no aggression towards humans. They are amongst the largest of the brown bear subspecies, have a different fur colouration and have front paws that are significantly different to their back paws. Unlike other bears, their hibernation is not just one long sleep, but they will regularly wake up for periods during the winter, making them less groggy when they finally do emerge in Spring.
There are only around 50 of these bears left but they have succeeded in bringing considerable eco-tourism to the Abruzzi region. They can, however, come into conflict with shepherd and honey farmers. There are considerable efforts from the EU and the Italian government to try and preserve the bears by increasing their habitable area but they do sometimes still fall foul of poaching or get hit by cars and with a population this low there is a real risk that they could become extinct.
Brown Bear Size
Brown bears have the widest range of sizes of all bears. The coastal populations and Kodiak bears can be twice the size of the inland grizzly bears. Females are usually around 30% smaller than males and they are much heavier before they hibernate than after. The smallest female inland grizzly bears can be as light as the diminutive sun bear and the largest coastal males can be as large as the biggest polar bears. Grizzly females are around 135Kg whereas coastal males are around 360Kg. They can grow to 2.8m in length and stand up to 1.5m in height at the shoulder.
Brown Bear Speed
Brown Bears are the fastest bear species, a little bit quicker than the Black Bear, with both Kodiak Bears and Grizzly Bears being able to run up to 35mph.
Brown Bear Habitat
Brown Bears occupy a very diverse range of habitats, depending on where they live. In fact, it is the most diverse of any living bear. In North America they live in alpine meadows, tundra and along the coastline; in Siberia they mainly inhabit forests and in Europe, they prefer mountain woodlands.
Brown bears also occupy a very wide range. Not surprisingly given the size and remoteness, Siberia is home to the most bears with around 120,000 living there. There are around 25,000 living in Canada and 32,500 in the USA, with 95% of those in Alaska. In Europe, their range is quite fragmented with a total of 14,000, of which 5,000 are in Romania, 2,500 in Sweden, 1,200 in Bulgaria, 800 in Slovakia and 700 in Slovenia. There are also small populations in Finland, Poland, Ukraine, Greece, France, Estonia, Spain, Norway and a few other countries.
Additionally, there are some populations in Asia outside Siberia with around 3,000 living on the Japanese island of Hokkaido. There are also brown bear enclaves in India, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, China and Korea.
Brown Bear Conservation Status
The brown bear’s range has shrunk somewhat but the species remains of Least Concern on the IUCN Red List with a population of around 200,000. Although overall the brown bear is not endangered, some populations and sub-species have been hunted to extinction while others are critically endangered. Many populations across Asia are hunted for their body parts, the Romanian population is also being hunted faster than they can be replenished while there are also habitat losses in some parts of the world. The Marsican Brown Bear in Italy, for example, only has around 50 or 60 individuals left.
Brown Bear Diet
Brown bears are omnivores and eat a varied diet which includes fish, plants, berries, grass, roots, acorns, mushrooms, bulbs, moths, insects, carrion and small mammals. The diet of the coastal brown bears consists predominantly of fish, especially salmon, whilst those who live inland have a more varied diet. Coastal bears have become very adept at fishing and can often catch salmon in mid-air. They also like crabs and clams and will dig for clams on beaches and estuaries.
Overall, Brown Bears are not particularly carnivorous and in general, their diet consists of around 90% plant matter. Much like most things with these bears, however, this percentage varies considerably between individuals. Some bears might lazily charge some larger animals occasionally but not catch anything while others become expert hunters, catching animals as large as Elk, Moose and Caribou.
When brown bears live in close proximity to humans they may also kill domestic animals such as cattle and will definitely raid vegetable crops. They also have a taste for trash and some individuals associate this food so much with humans they can lose their fear of people.
Brown Bear Predators
Unsurprisingly adult Brown Bears have very few natural predators. Apart from humans, the only creature that will regularly kill an adult brown bear is the Siberian Tiger, and even then confrontations can result in the death of the tiger. Brown Bear cubs, however, may also be predated by wolves and more rarely, cougars. There has even been one documented case of a Golden Eagle taking a brown bear cub. Interestingly as their range starts to overlap that of the polar bear, brown conflicts with polar bears are becoming more common but the brown bear usually ends up dominating the polar bear.
Brown Bear Hibernation
Between October and December, brown bears will enter a period of winter hibernation. Before they start they will spend the autumn gorging on fat-rich foods to sustain them throughout the winter with no food. They will also spend this time preparing their dens, lining them with grass, ferns, moss, twigs and leaves. They often use the same den year after year.
Their “hibernation” is more of a winter dormancy and they are fairly light sleepers, very able to defend themselves if they are attacked or awoken. Female bears will give birth to their cubs during this period, in their dens.
Brown Bear Reproduction
The mating season for Brown Bears is from mid-May to early July, with it being later further north. The females come into oestrous only every three to four years but the mother has a relatively high number of cubs with three or four being average.
The babies are born blind, hairless and toothless in the dens during hibernation and obviously are entirely dependent on their mother. The cubs will stay with the mother for a couple of years, learning about hunting and other survival techniques.
Brown Bear Adaptations
There are a number of adaptations that enable these bears to successfully live in their habitats. Their thick fur and skin expertly insulates them from the severe cold of their environments; their strength enables them to kill other animals if needs be and their claws are perfectly adapted to digging for roots in the ground. Other than this there are no special adaptations, perhaps because their diet is so varied.
Are Brown Bears Dangerous?
Brown bears are large omnivores with sharp teeth and big claws so yes, they can be. Statistically, brown bears are more dangerous than both polar bears and black bears. The average brown bear encounter is 3.5 times more likely to result in injury than the average polar bear encounter, and 21 times more dangerous than the average Black Bear encounter.
Brown bear attacks are very rare, however, and almost all of them are avoidable. The primary motivation for bear attacks is to neutralise a perceived threat. After that, they are usually on their way. A good way to deter Grizzly Bears, in particular, is to use “bear spray”, a kind of pepper spray. This spray is thought to be 92% effective in avoiding attacks. Taking other precautions such as not carrying food and travelling in groups of people can also deter encounters.
If you do encounter a brown bear the best way to react is to back away calmly and slowly without provoking the animal (this is different from the technique for avoiding black bear attacks). Female bears with cubs can be particularly dangerous. If the bear is standing up, making blowing sounds and slapping the ground it means it is nervous and therefore potentially dangerous. Do not run from the bear and do not try and fight it. Both of these actions can lead to injury (again the advice is different when dealing with other bear species).
Almost all adverse brown bear encounters happen when a bear is startled or frightened and when they are in close proximity to humans. If you keep your distance, they are very unlikely to attack and will likely run away or ignore you. Indeed, from a distance, an encounter with a brown bear can be a very rewarding experience.
FAQs
Is a Kodiak bear bigger than a grizzly?
Yes, Kodiak bears and coastal brown bears are on average much larger than Grizzly bears due to their rich diet of fish.
What is the largest Kodiak Bear on record?
The largest Kodiak bear ever recorded was one in captivity. Named Clyde, the bear lived in Dakota zoo and weighed 960 Kg and stood 3.4m tall on his hind legs. The largest wild Kodiak bear ever recorded weighed 751 Kg and stood over 3m tall.
Is there a difference between a brown bear and a grizzly bear?
A grizzly bear is a type of brown bear so no. A Coastal brown bear is different from a grizzly bear with the former much larger, living on the coast with a diet of mostly fish.
Will a brown bear attack a human?
If they are started or protecting cubs then yes, they can. They would much rather avoid confrontation, however, and by taking precautions the vast majority of attacks can be avoided.
Can a brown bear kill a lion/tiger?
The short answer is yes. The long answer is that Brown Bears and Siberian Tigers fairly regularly come into conflict with each other. Of 44 recorded encounters, just under half resulted in a confrontation. Of these 20 confrontations, 50% resulted in the tiger killing the bear, 27% resulted in the bear killing the tiger with the rest ending in a stalemate with both predators going their separate ways.
As for lions, brown bears and lions do not mix in wild so this is unknown. One on one, my money would be on the bear but lions hunt in groups so who knows!
How many brown bears are left?
There are around 200,000 brown bears left globally and are not considered to be under threat, although some populations are critically endangered.
