Brown Bears Vs. Grizzly Bears

Fearsome brown bears are often anything but brown.

Once widely distributed around Earth’s northern hemisphere in North America, Europe and Asia, brown bears (Ursus arctos) now exist only in scant pockets outside of Canada and Alaska. About 500 live in Finland, and in Norway, fewer than 150 continue to thrive. The only healthy population remaining in Russia is the Kamchatka brown bear, though scattered populations of brown bears still survive throughout Russia and northern Japan.

Brown Bears

Brown bears live in coastal regions of Alaska.

Ursus arctos is the species of all brown bears; though scientists consider grizzlies and Kodiaks both as subspecies, they are virtually identical other than their habitat. North American Ursus arctos, the parent species of brown bears, live in coastal regions of Alaska and Canada.

Grizzly Bears

Called “grizzly” due to the grizzled look of its fur, this subspecies of brown bear (scientific name Ursus arctos horribilis) occupies interior areas of Alaska, Canada and a small portion of the “Lower 48,” or contiguous United States. The coats of grizzlies are often a lighter shade than those of most brown bears, though considerable color variation exists.

Kodiak Bears

Native only to Kodiak Island about 200 miles south by southwest of Anchorage, the Kodiak brown bear (scientific name Ursus arctos middendorfi) is larger than other brown bears only because of its isolated habitat with plentiful food and very little competition for that food, particularly bountiful salmon, providing more protein than is available to most brown bears. People often refer to any particularly large brown bear as a Kodiak, but the subspecies of this bear lives only on the island.

Characteristics

All brown bears share the same physical characteristics, particularly their size, which can range from a mere 209 lbs. to a whopping 3/4 ton (over 1,500 lbs.). They also share the shoulder hump, the result of overdeveloped shoulder muscles due to their habit of digging for food, and the concave profile of the forehead and snout. Coloration can vary from light blond to nearly black in appearance and their claws are nearly four times the length of their North American cousin, the black bear.

Range

Once found all over the western half of North America from Alaska to central Mexico, the continent’s remaining brown bears live primarily in western Canada and throughout Alaska, with pockets of smaller populations extending into Montana and northern Washington State, as well as a growing population in Yellowstone National Park in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. Following the last ice age, their territory temporarily extended as far east as Ontario in Canada and the western edge of Pennsylvania in the United States.

References

• Explore North: Brown Bears (Grizzlies) of the North
• Alaskan Sportsman: Alaska Brown Bear Hunting - Alaska Grizzly Bear
• American Bear: Bears of the World

Resources

• Woodland Park Zoo: Animal Fact Sheets Brown Bear
• Tree Hugger: Brown Bear Range Graphic