Newspaper Sections

Special Series

Publications

About SSFP

Simpson Street Free Press

The Grizzly Is North America’s Giant

The grizzly bear or the brown bear is one of the most dangerous bears in North America. It is gigantic, extremely powerful, and wildly unpredictable. Its fur is light brown with white-tipped hairs and it has a distinct shoulder hump. Interestingly, it can run as fast as a horse but only for short durations.

The scientific name of the grizzly bear is Ursus arctos and it can reach up to a weight of 1,000 pounds. Its subspecies, the Alaskan brown bear, also known as the Kodiak bear, can weigh twice as much as a grizzly bear.

The grizzly bear has long front claws that grow up to four inches. These bear are omnivorous, eating small mammals, fish, and insects—as well as different types of vegetation, including roots, leaves, fungi, and fruit. Shockingly, they can also catch massive prey, such as deer or moose.

Grizzly bears live in remote places on Planet Earth. They do better away from humans. Grizzly bears live in North American mountains, grasslands, forests, and tundra. Various kinds of grizzly live in both Alaska and northwest Canada. They also live in the Rocky Mountains in the United States.

Before the hibernation process in the winter, grizzly bears drastically increase their weight. During hibernation, they do not sleep as long as other hibernating mammals but will stay in a cave for the duration of winter.

The mating season happens in the summer, with cubs being born in late winter or early spring. When they are born, cubs weigh about one pound and are about the size of a rat. In general, all bears grow very quickly; grizzly bears tend to grow to full maturity in 8 to 10 years.

Grizzly bears are one of the fiercest mammals and are the biggest terrestrial Predator in North America. Although they are big and dangerous, they are one of the most fascinating animals in the animal kingdom.

Another similar species in North America is the black bear, which is much smaller than a grizzly. Black bears do not have shoulder humps. Blacks bears are less dangerous to humans and usually are afraid of people. There is a relatively small population of black bears living in Wisconsin.

[Source: North American Animals; National Geographic]

Loading Comments...