Grizzly bear is one of the sub-species and descendants of brown bear, and is found in the regions of North America. It is also known as silvertip bear because of the white or greyish sharpened tip of its fuzz. Grizzly bears are known for their robustness and activeness. The animal represents the wildlife of America in its grandeur sense. And while it may not be friendly to the humans, it certainly isn’t their enemy. Due to growing urbanisation these spectacular creations of the nature are being increasingly deprived of their habitats. No wonder their presence declined, and in 1975, grizzly bears were declared as a threatened species under the Endangered Species category by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Today, grizzly bears continue to thrive in protected areas of Northern America. And to know several distinct facts and figures about grizzlies or North American brown bears, as they are popularly known as, read on the next portion of the article.
Common Name: Grizzly bear, silvertip bear, North American brown bear
Scientific Name: Ursus Arctos Horribilis
Species: U. Arctos
Sub Species: U. A. Horribilis
Size: 5 to 8 feet (1.5 to 2.5 metres)
Average Weight: 318 kg (males) and 159 kg (females)
Diet: Omnivorous (vegetation, fish, and small mammals)
Habitat: Meadows, forested mountains and river valleys inWestern North America
Age of Sexual Maturity: 4 to 5 Years
Average Litter Size: 2 (varies from 1 to 4)
Gestation Period: 6.5 to 8.5 months
Average Lifespan: 25 years (Wild)
Interesting & Fun Facts About Grizzly Bear
- Grizzly bears can be found anywhere in Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories; and the US states of Alaska, Idaho, Wyoming, Washington, and Montana.
- Grizzly bears are the most adaptable and flexible bear species in the world. It is one of the reasons why this species of bear is able to survive, feeding on any kind of diet that is local to the region(s) they inhabit.
- Grizzly bears have derived their names from the sharp and pointing tip of their fur which is often found in white or greyish colour. Their fur can be seen in a number of colours that includes black and brown to mid-blond colours.
- Generally, grizzly bears are solitary in nature except for when the mother is with its cubs. However, a grizzly bear can be seen grouped where there are a plenty of food resources.
- A male grizzly bear is almost 1.8 times the weight of the female. While the females, on average, weigh around 160 kg, males, on the other hand, weigh around 320 on average. Interestingly, in some parts, an adult female grizzly bear may weigh as less as 100 kg.
- Grizzly bears have dish-shaped face with a dip between its eyes and its pile of muscles forms a unique hump on the shoulders. Other than the hump above its shoulders, a grizzly bear has significantly large claws which assist it in digging, picking food and hunting.
- Their strongly built shoulders assist the grizzlies in climbing the trees. They do that in order to find honey or some other food source. Also, it makes them quite a competent swimmer.
- Don’t go by their bulky size and laidback slow gait. Despite that, grizzlies are known to run really fast. They have been clocked at 30 miles, (48 kilometres) per hour.
- Generally, grizzlies do not harm humans, but many become violent when find humans in the vicinity of their cubs or if humans intimidate them. A subsequent number of bear attacks on humans have taken place in the past.
- Grizzly bears’ diet is mainly vegetarian, and consists of vegetation, nuts, berries, and roots. Apart from that, they also feed on fish such as salmon, trout, and bass; and also have been known to hunt or eat already dead deer, sheep, moose, elk, bison, and caribou. A grizzly bear can eat as much as 40 kg of food in a day.
- The mating season of grizzly bears begins somewhere in the middle of summers. Surprisingly, a female grizzly does not get pregnant immediately after mating. Following the procedure of delayed implantation, it has the capability to keep the fertilized egg floating in its womb until the favourable conditions, generally during hibernation, to develop the fetus are met.
- Beginning winters, grizzlies prepare for hibernating for a period as long as winters. Before the onset, they eat as much as possible and accumulate the fat to use for the winters. On an average, a grizzly bear can accumulate as much as 200 kg of fat to utilize in the season.
- For the purpose, they may dig dens among the tree roots or toddle into one between the rocks. A female grizzly often enters the den pregnant. However, grizzlies do not enter a deep slumber and can awaken if disturbed. All their body functions slow down an awful lot and the heartbeat, from 40 beats per minute, comes down to as low as 8 beats per minute.
- Number of offspring depends upon the weight of pregnant female grizzle bear. On an average, a female grizzly bear can give birth 1 to 3 babies in the time span of 3 years. Mostly, baby grizzlies are born in the form of twins. And at the time of birth, a baby grizzly is blind and toothless creature but is born strong enough to move to a position close to the mother for nursing.
- Astonishingly, if a pregnant grizzly is unable to find sufficient amount of food to accumulate the fat to get her and her cubs through the winters, then the embryo inside her might not develop at all. The cubs that do get born, stay with their mother for about 2-3 years and then take their own path.
- Grizzlies are often put at the top of the food chain, thus are among the safest wild animals. However, baby grizzlies do get attacked by mountain lions, wolves and other such animals when far from their mothers.
- Grizzlies are the uncrowned king of jungle, and even the fiercest of animals like wolves and cougars surrender their hunted food before them, when they come across grizzlies.
- Grizzly bears are known for covering long distances, generally in the quest of food. Once they get food, their migration stops.