Grizzly Bear | |
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Information | |
Common Name | Silvertip bear, and North American brown bear. |
Range | Western North America |
Scientific Classification | |
Kingdom | Animalia |
Phylum | Chordata |
Class | Mammalia |
Order | Carnivora |
Family | Ursidae |
Genus | Ursus |
Species | Ursus arctos |
Conservation Status | |
Least Concern |
The Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) is a subspecies of Ursus arctos (Brown Bear). The word 'bear' comes from Old English bera which is derived from Proto-Germanic *berô which stems from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerH- meaning "grey, brown". Ringe, discrediting the existence of the root suggests instead *ǵʰwer which means 'wild animal'. The Proto-Germanic word replaced Proto-Indo-European*h₂ŕ̥tḱos due to the superstition that bears can understand their true name and upon hearing it, they will come to try and harm you. It generally lives in the western part of North America. They are very aggressive towards humans. Grizzly Bears are omnivores, and their diet can vary widely. They may eat seeds, berries, roots, grasses, fungi, deer, elk, fish, dead animals and insects. Surprisingly, it can reach speeds of 35 miles an hour. The hump on its back is made of fat and muscle, the bear uses the fat so that it doesn't have to eat as it hibernates. A grizzly can have 2-3 cubs at a time and spend 1 1/2 years teaching them to survive.
Classification[]
Appearence[]
Grizzly Bears have concave faces, a distinctive hump on their shoulders, and long claws about two to four inches long. Both the hump and the claws are traits associated with a grizzly bear’s exceptional digging ability. Grizzlies are often dark brown, but can vary from very light cream to black. They can also weigh over 800-900 lbs and can have a height of over 3 ft. tall on all fours and 7-8 ft. tall on its hind legs.
Range and population[]
The population of the grizzly bear is estimated to be 26,000 in Canada where they range in Alberta, British Columbia, the Yukon Territories and the Northwest Territories. There’s around 31,500 grizzly bears in the United States with the overwhelming majority being in Alaska (30,000). Grizzlies once roamed as far south as to Sinaloa in Mexico, as far north as to Nunavut and as Far East as to northwestern Ontario but are now only restricted to the western portion of North America.