The grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis), also known as the silvertip bear or just the grizzly or North american brown bear, is a subspecies of brown bear (Ursus arctos) that generally lives in the uplands of western North America. This subspecies is thought to descend from Ussuri brown bears which crossed to Alaska from Eastern Russia 100,000 years ago, though they did not move south until 13,000 years ago.
Ten Facts about Grizzly Bear
- There average life is about 25 years.
- There size is about 5 to 8 ft (1.5 to 2.5 m) & weight is about 800 lbs (363 kg).
- Despite their impressive size, grizzlies are quite fast and have been clocked at 30 miles (48 kilometers) an hour.
- Grizzlies are typically brown, though their fur can appear to be white-tipped, or grizzled, lending them their traditional name.
- Grizzly bears are powerful, top-of-the-food-chain predators, yet much of their diet consists of nuts, berries, fruit, leaves, and roots. Bears also eat other animals, from rodents to moose.
- Brown bears are found in Asia, Europe and North America, giving them one of the widest ranges of bear species.
- Grizzly bears do not reach sexual maturity until they are at least five years old.
- On average, females produce two cubs in a litter[9] and the mother cares for the cubs for up to two years, during which the mother will not mate.[3] Once the young leave or are killed, females may not produce another litter for three or more years depending on environmental conditions.
- Male grizzly bears have large territories, up to 4,000 square kilometres (1,500 sq mi).
- Grizzly bears spend the summer season in search of a suitable place to live. These bears travel large distance for the same. They even dig huge pits underneath the roots of trees with the help of their large forepaws.
