BrownBears

Brown bear
(grizzly bear)
(Ursus arctos)
10 Subspecies
Life span 20-30 years
Size
Body length: 180-210cm
Weight:
male: 135-390kg,
female: 95-205kg.
Males are 20 to 60 per cent heavier than females.
Physical Appearance
They typically have brown fur, but this can vary from cream to almost black. Grizzly bears (U.a.horribilis) have long white-tipped hairs along the shoulders and back, which give the bear a 'grizzled' appearance. They have a hump on their shoulders, a concave face and long, curved claws.
Distribution
Brown bears have the most widespread distribution of all the bears. They inhabit North America, east and west Europe and northern Asia.
Habitat
Brown bears prefer dense forest areas, alpine tundra regions and river valleys.
Diet
They feed on a variety of foods depending on the time of year including grasses, sedges, bulbs, roots, berries, fungi, insects, rodents, moose, reindeer, bison, muskox, sheep and carrion. Alaskan brown bears feed heavily on migrating salmon. They tend to cache food and return to it later.
Social organization and behaviour
They are solitary, except for mothers with cubs, but do not appear to be territorial. Large aggregations sometimes form at feeding areas and these situations can lead to aggression between individuals, although large adult males tend to assume dominance.

Unlike black bears, brown bears don't tend to climb trees.
They are active day and night, but most likely around dusk and dawn. They are often nocturnal in areas where there is a lot of human activity.

Brown bear range size varies according to food availability, and bears in rich food areas don't need such large ranges. Male ranges are larger than females' so they have the opportunity to mate with as many females as possible.

Brown bears go into torpor, (a period of deep sleep that is not true hibernation) in October-December and become active again in March-May. They excavate the dens in which they spend the winter, or alternatively they may use caves or hollow trees.
Reproduction
Brown bears mate from June to July and give birth to 1-4 cubs in January to February. The cubs stay with their mother for 2.5 years.
Conservation/status
The IUCN do not list brown bears, but CITES rank them on Appendix I. Threats include hunting and habitat encroachment, such as logging and road construction.