Brown bear

The brown bear (Ursus arctos) is a large <a href="/facts/Bear/Y973Q4FP">bear</a> native to <a href="/facts/Eurasia/KlLI9GDM">Eurasia</a> and <a href="/facts/North_America/djNjCQIl">North America</a>. Of the land <a href="/facts/Carnivora/4wWDW8RY">carnivorans</a>, it is rivaled in size only by its closest relative, the <a href="/facts/Polar_bear/Tnl55jRo">polar bear</a>, which is much less variable in size and slightly bigger on average. The brown bear is a <a href="/facts/Sexually_dimorphic/nx9wulFy">sexually dimorphic</a> species, as adult males are larger and more compactly built than females. The <a href="/facts/Fur/4hVxpDQ0">fur</a> ranges in color from cream to reddish to dark brown. It has evolved large hump muscles, unique among bears, and paws up to 21 cm (8.3 in) wide and 36 cm (14 in) long, to effectively dig through dirt. Its teeth are similar to those of other bears and reflect its <a href="/facts/Dietary_biology_of_the_brown_bear/17q3cSw4">dietary plasticity</a>.
Throughout the brown bear's range, it inhabits mainly <a href="/facts/Forest/RnMtb31v">forested habitats</a> in elevations of up to 5,000 m (16,000 ft). It is <a href="/facts/Omnivorous/b8zcsuJF">omnivorous</a>, and consumes a variety of plant and animal species. Contrary to popular belief, the brown bear derives 90% of its diet from plants. When hunting, it will target animals as small as <a href="/facts/Insects/IgDNvnUL">insects</a> and <a href="/facts/Rodents/mT4m8QJq">rodents</a> to those as large as <a href="/facts/Moose/JDlB909Q">moose</a> or <a href="/facts/Muskoxen/l3KEoRVB">muskoxen</a>. In parts of coastal <a href="/facts/Alaska/LlDNr2uR">Alaska</a>, brown bears predominantly feed on <a href="/facts/Spawning/nYF12vfX">spawning</a> <a href="/facts/Salmon/7kUsoqVN">salmon</a> that come near shore to lay their eggs. For most of the year, it is a usually <a href="/facts/Solitary_animal/aJWwK65x">solitary animal</a> that associates only when <a href="/facts/Mating/o2voslGF">mating</a> or raising cubs. Females give birth to an average of one to three cubs that remain with their mother for 1.5 to 4.5 years. It is a long-lived animal, with an average lifespan of 25 years in the wild. Relative to its body size, the brown bear has an exceptionally large brain. This large brain allows for high cognitive abilities, such as <a href="/facts/Tool_use/F0RnHLJj">tool use</a>. <a href="/facts/Bear_attack/47RzSySB">Attacks on humans</a>, though widely 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 <a href="/facts/Least_concern/8u7koV5r">least concern</a> species by the <a href="/facts/International_Union_for_Conservation_of_Nature/QwV8JXup">International Union for Conservation of Nature</a> (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 <a href="/facts/Atlas_bear/5vAoTtgg">Atlas bear</a> of <a href="/facts/North_Africa/ItxQAfs7">North Africa</a> and the <a href="/facts/California_grizzly_bear/p2S3Ig8V">Californian</a>, <a href="/facts/Ungava_brown_bear/4p2QoWCj">Ungavan</a> and <a href="/facts/Mexican_grizzly_bear/q8U6bvwX">Mexican</a> 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 <a href="/facts/Himalayan_brown_bear/7N1t8tgA">Himalayan brown bear</a>, is critically endangered: it occupies only 2% of its former range and is threatened by uncontrolled poaching for its body parts. The <a href="/facts/Marsican_brown_bear/gWwpGHh6">Marsican brown bear</a> of central Italy is one of several currently isolated populations of the <a href="/facts/Eurasian_brown_bear/qATl4mEE">Eurasian brown bear</a> and is believed to have a population of only about 50 bears.
The brown bear is considered to be one of the most popular of the world's <a href="/facts/Charismatic_megafauna/3VVr8kAX">charismatic megafauna</a>. It has been kept in <a href="/facts/Zoo/FsM5YT6a">zoos</a> since ancient times, and has been <a href="/facts/Tame_bear/LhMCrroq">tamed</a> and trained to perform in <a href="/facts/Circus/7flRQANa">circuses</a> and other acts. For thousands of years, the brown bear has had a role in <a href="/facts/Human_culture/c5JgMqpX">human culture</a>, and is often featured in <a href="/facts/Literature/CmUDxokU">literature</a>, <a href="/facts/The_arts/kabJ6XX6">art</a>, <a href="/facts/Folklore/hcBN8qcd">folklore</a>, and <a href="/facts/Mythology/kG8UTfem">mythology</a>.

Brown bear open-in-new

Brown bear