BROWN BEAR

General Description:

Brown bears have a bulky muscle mass located above the shoulders. This hump is designed to power the forelimbs and makes them exceptionally powerful diggers. This is one of the features that distinguishes them from the more common North American black bear which lacks such a shoulder hump.

Distribution:

Brown bears are the most widely distributed bears in the world. They are found in North America, Europe, and Asia.

Habitat:

Brown bears live in a variety of habitats, including forests, woodlands, alpine and subalpine meadows, and even the Arctic tundra.

Diet:

Brown bears are omnivorous. Depending on season, habitat, and region, they can eat grasses, berries, sedges, fungi, mosses, roots, nuts, fruits, honey, insects, birds, and fish (trout, bass, and particularly adult salmon returning to rivers to spawn). In some regions, 80-90% of their diet consists of vegetation.

Population: 200,000

Length: Average 6.5 feet

Height: 3.5 feet

Weight: Males: 300 to 850 pounds, Females: 200 to 450 pounds