Grizzly Bear

The scientific name of the Grizzly Bear is Ursus arctos horribilis. It’s a subspecies of the Brown Bear (Ursus arctos.) This subspecies is found in North America only. Its range extends from western Canada and Alaska to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. The original range of these bears also included the Great Plains and much of the southwestern states. The other Brown Bear that is found in Russia and some other European countries is referred to as the Siberian Brown Bear (Ursus arctos collaris.)

The current population of the Grizzly Bear is estimated about 60,000 individuals. Grizzlies are protected by law throughout their range, but their former range will not be restored, because it’s very dangerous to introduce such a large and fierce animal into areas used for agriculture. Like all bears, the Grizzly Bear is omnivorous thriving on the diet of berries, fruits, shoots, roots, insects and fish, but sometimes this strong animal hunts deer, moose, elk, and even its close relative Black Bear. In spring and in winter, when the food is scarce, Grizzly Bears are known to prey on domestic livestock and humans.

Nowadays, the Grizzly Bear can be seen in several national parks: the Banff National Park, Glacier National Park, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The main limiting factors for Grizzlies in national parks are access to the busy roads, habitat loss, human encounters, alienation, and fragmentation of small populations. Outside the national parks, Grizzly Bears are still hunted and poached for their fur and meat and because they pose a threat to humans. Bears’ low reproductive rate contributes to the problem.

Grizzly Bears play a great role in the ecosystem. Being opportunistic eaters, they consume carrion, control the population of ungulates, thus preserving the vegetation structure in the area. When digging for roots, Grizzly Bears alter the nutrient structure in the soil and increase the natural diversity of plants and animals. About 200-250 Grizzlies are needed on a reserve about 4,000-6,000 square miles to preserve the population for longer than 20 years. Smaller groups of the Grizzly Bear will not be able to survive.