10 facts about brown bears
Intriguing facts about one of the world's largest predators
The brown bear, known as Ursus arctos, is a widely distributed species. Brown bears can be found in various regions of the world, including North America and Eurasia. Read 10 interesting facts about the giant mammal here.
- There are approximately 200,000 brown bears worldwide. They can be found in North America, Asia, and Europe, with the largest population in Russia. There are roughly 30,000 in the United States, most of which are in Alaska, and only around 1,500 are in the contiguous 48 states.1
- In North America, there are at least two subspecies of brown bears: Grizzly bears and Kodiak bears.2
- The brown bear can reach a weight of between 300 and 1,200 pounds depending on the age, sex, and season.2
- Despite their weight, bears cover short distances at speeds of up to 30 mph.3
- Brown bears are generally loners. However, when they need to communicate with other bears - such as seeking out a mate, they intentionally twist their feet on the ground when walking in certain areas; bears do this because they have glands in their feet that secrete chemicals, which can be released when they twist their feet on the ground.4
- At birth, bear cubs are blind and naked.5
- Bears have a particularly good nose: their sense of smell enables them to sniff food at a distance of several miles.6
- Brown bears in the wild are mainly active at dusk and at night.7
- In the wild, brown bears can live between 20 and 30 years of age.8 At our bear sanctuary in the Ukraine lived our oldest rescued bear, Lady M, who passed away at the age of 43.
- The brown bear is the largest predator still living on the continent of Europe and the second largest in North America.9
Resources
(1) https://bebearaware.org/bears-of-north-america
(2) https://bear.org/brown-grizzly-bear-facts/
(3) https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/grizzly-bear?loggedin=true
(4) https://phys.org/news/2017-04-brown-scent-feet-ground.html
(5) https://www.nps.gov/katm/blogs/birth-of-a-brown-bear.htm
(6) https://valleyproud.org/how-far-can-bears-smell
(7) https://bear.org/brown-grizzly-bear-facts/
(8)https://wwf.panda.org/discover/our_focus/wildlife_practice/profiles/mammals/brown_bear2/
(9) https://www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/arid-20307592.html and https://sciencing.com/list-biggest-mammals-8317803.html
