This article is about the animal. For the athletics teams at Brown University, see Brown Bears. For the research ship, see MV Brown Bear.
Brown bear
Temporal range: 0.5–0 Ma
PreꞒ
Ꞓ
O
S
D
C
P
T
J
K
Pg
N
↓
Middle Pleistocene-Holocene
Kodiak bear on Kodiak Island
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[2][note 1]
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Carnivora
Family:
Ursidae
Genus:
Ursus
Species:
U. arctos
Binomial name
Ursus arctos
Linnaeus, 1758
Subspecies
15, see text and article
Brown bear range map
The brown bear (Ursus arctos) is a large bear species found across Eurasia and North America. It is one of the largest living terrestrial members of the order Carnivora, rivaled in size only by its closest relative, the polar bear, which is much less variable in size and slightly bigger on average. Adults of different subspecies range in weight from 80 to 600 kg (180 to 1,320 lb), with males being heavier than females. Despite its name, brown bears aren't entirely brown; the pelage can be reddish to yellowish-brown, and dark brown to cream in color. During winter, brown bears in some populations hibernate and emerge during spring to regain up to 180 kg (400 lb) of weight. They have well developed dentition and claws, ideal for their lifestyle.
The brown bear is mostly found in forested habitats, and can be found in elevations of 5,000 m (16,000 ft). It is omnivorous, and consumes a variety of plant and animal species; with the former comprising 90% of its diet. The bear hunts animals as small as rodents, to animals as large as moose or muskoxen. In parts of coastal Alaska, brown bears predominately feed on spawning salmon that come ashore to lay their eggs. The brown bear is a solitary animal, except in the breeding season. Females protect their young for an average of 1.5 to 4.5 years. Brown bears have one of the largest skulls of any land-based carnivore, and are able to make use of tools. They are long lived animals, with an average lifespan of 25 years in the wild. Attacks on humans, though reported, are generally rare.
While the brown bear's range has shrunk, and it has faced local extinctions across its wide range, it remains listed as a least concern species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) with a total estimated population in 2017 of 110,000. Populations that were hunted to extinction in the 19th and 20th centuries are the Atlas bear of North Africa and the Californian, Ungavan and Mexican populations of the grizzly bear of North America. Many of the populations in the southern parts of Eurasia are highly endangered as well. One of the smaller-bodied forms, the Himalayan brown bear, is critically endangered, occupying only 2% of its former range and threatened by uncontrolled poaching for its body parts. The Marsican brown bear of central Italy is one of several currently isolated populations of the Eurasian brown bear and is believed to have a population of just c. 50 bears.
^McLellan, B.N.; Proctor, M.F.; Huber, D.; Michel, S. (2017). "Ursus arctos". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T41688A121229971. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T41688A121229971.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
^"Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Archived from the original on 5 December 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
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The brownbear (Ursus arctos) is a large bear species found across Eurasia and North America. It is one of the largest living terrestrial members of the...
The Kodiak bear (Ursus arctos middendorffi), also known as the Kodiak brownbear, sometimes the Alaskan brownbear, inhabits the islands of the Kodiak...
brownbear (Ursus arctos lasiotus), also known as the Ezo brownbear, Russian grizzly bear, or the black grizzly bear, is a subspecies of the brown bear...
The Eurasian brownbear (Ursus arctos arctos) is one of the most common subspecies of the brownbear, and is found in much of Eurasia. It is also called...
(including the sun bear, the Asian black bear, and the American black bear); and the brownbears (which includes the polar bear). Modern brownbears evolved from...
The Kamchatka brownbear (Ursus arctos beringianus), also known as the Far Eastern brownbear, or in Russian: Камчатский бурый медведь, romanized: Kamchatsky...
grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis), also known as the North American brownbear or simply grizzly, is a population or subspecies of the brownbear inhabiting...
The Syrian brownbear (Ursus arctos syriacus or Ursus arctos arctos) is a medium and endangered subspecies of Eurasian brownbear native to the Middle...
The Sankebetsu brownbear incident (三毛別羆事件, Sankebetsu higuma jiken), also known as the Rokusensawa bear attack (六線沢熊害事件, Rokusensawa yūgai jiken) or...
The Alaska Peninsula brownbear (Ursus arctos gyas) or "peninsular grizzly" is a colloquial nomenclature for a possible brownbear subspecies that lives...
currently considered subspecies or populations of brownbears have been listed as follows: Brownbear size, most often measured in body mass, is highly...
The Marsican brownbear (Ursus arctos arctos, formerly Ursus arctos marsicanus), also known as the Apennine brownbear, and orso bruno marsicano in Italian...
Brownbears (Ursus arctos) were once native to Europe, much of Asia, the Atlas Mountains of Africa, and North America, but are now extirpated in some...
The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is a large bear native to the Arctic and nearby areas. It is closely related to the brownbear, and the two species can...
The Ungava brownbear is an extinct population of grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) that inhabited the forests of northern Quebec and Labrador until...
other bear species combined. Along with the brownbear (Ursus arctos), it is one of only two modern bear species not considered by the IUCN to be globally...
than brown and Asian black bears. It shares features of insectivorous mammals and evolved during the Pleistocene from the ancestral brownbear through...
The BrownBears are the sports teams that represent Brown University, an American university located in Providence, Rhode Island. The Bears are part of...
black bear remain at risk of extirpation. The brownbear (Ursus arctos) is a large species of bear distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Brown bear...
The Cantabrian brownbear, Iberian brownbear, or Iberian bear (formerly Ursus arctos pyrenaicus) is a population of Eurasian brownbears (Ursus arctos...
The Atlas bear or North African bear (Ursus arctos crowtheri) was a population (or populations) of brownbear native to North Africa that became extinct...
involving hikers, hunters, and campers. Brownbear (Ursus arctos, a subspecies of which is known as the grizzly bear, Ursus arctos horribilis) incidents have...
Stickeen brownbear (Ursus arctos stikeenensis), also known as Stikine brownbear, is a large North American brownbear that is most commonly dark brown in...
A bear attack is an attack by a bear on another animal, although it usually refers to a bear attacking a human or domestic pet. Bear attacks are of particular...
The East Siberian brownbear (Ursus arctos collaris) is a population or subspecies of brownbear which ranges from eastern Siberia, beginning at the Yenisei...
The steppe brownbear (Ursus arctos priscus) is a disputed extinct subspecies of brownbear that lived in Eurasia during either the Pleistocene or the...
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