About Grizzly Bear Physical Development
Grizzly bears are a subspecies of the North American brown bear and are the second largest bear in the world, polar bears being the largest. Grizzly bears were hunted almost to extinction after European settlers arrived in North America. Currently, as of spring of 2010, only 1,000 grizzly bears remain in the continental United States, where they are now a protected species. With their impressive size, physical abilities, life cycle and place in the food chain, grizzly bears are an important part of the ecological world.
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Measurements
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Grizzly bears are very large animals with impressive physical strength and dexterity. A mature grizzly bear can weigh anywhere from 330 lbs. (female) to 850 lbs. (male) and stands between 5 feet to 8 feet. The lifespan of a grizzly in the wild is between 20 to 25 years.
Physical Traits
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Grizzly bears have distinctive claws. The grizzly bear gets its name because of the pale colored guard hair that protects the bear's soft under fur and gives the brown coat of the bear a "grizzled" appearance. The most distinctive feature of a grizzly besides its large size is the muscular hump located between the animal's shoulders. Grizzly bears have large, curved claws, which measure around 3 1/2 inches long. Claws are used for digging dens and foraging for food.
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Sense of Smell
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Grizzly bears use their sense of smell to help with fishing. One of the most extraordinary traits of a grizzly bear is its sense of smell. With its massive nasal cavity, a grizzly's sense of smell is 100,000 times stronger than that of a human's. Grizzly bears use their keen sense of smell to locate clams hidden in the sand, and are even able to locate fish beneath the water. Grizzly's also use their sense of smell to communicate with one another. They often smell where another bear has urinated to find out information about that bear.
Reproduction
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Female grizzly bears do not begin breeding until they reach 5 to 8 years of age. The male finds a mate during breeding season, which occurs between June and July, and spends a month mating with her before returning to his isolated life. Gestation takes 4 to 5 months and the average litter size is two cubs, though as many as four cubs can be born at one time. Female bears have a maximum of 10 cubs in their lifetime.
Cubs
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Cubs are born during hibernation, which occurs from the end of January until early March. The cubs are almost completely hairless when born and weigh less than 1 lb. By the time the cubs leave the den in the spring, they will weigh around 18 lbs. and will continue to gain weight rapidly throughout their first year of life. Cubs spend the first two and a half to three and a half years of their life with their mother. During this time, the mother will have no other cubs. Half of all cubs will die within their first year of life.
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References
- Photo Credit grizzly bear image by Mat Hayward from Fotolia.com grizzly bear paws image by cullenphotos from Fotolia.com grizzly bear in water image by cullenphotos from Fotolia.com
