BROWN BEAR

Grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) (Ursus arctos), shaggy-haired, characteristically brown bear of the family Ursidae. Numerous races of the species are native to Eurasia and to northwestern North America, where they are usually called grizzlies, or grizzly bears. Many of these animals, such as the more than 80 named forms in North America alone, have been or are considered distinct species by some authorities. Eurasian brown bears are generally solitary animals, able to run and swim well, usually 120210 cm (4884 inches) long, and 135250 kg (300550 pounds) in weight; the exceptionally large Siberian brown bear (Ursus arctos beringianus), weighing as much as 360 kg (795 pounds), approximates the North American grizzly bear in size. Eurasian brown bears feed on mammals, fish, vegetable materials, and honey. Coat colour is highly variable, ranging from grayish white through bluish and brownish shades to almost black. Eurasian brown bears are commonly seen in zoos; they can be trained and become quite tractable. Formerly they were frequently trained to move rhythmically to musicthe so-called dancing bears of European carnivals and festivals. They originally ranged through much of Europe and Asia; their range and populations are now reduced. For North American brown bears, including the grizzly bear and the Alaskan brown bears (Kodiak bear and others), see grizzly bear. The native American black bear (see black bear) occurs in a brown colour phase that is sometimes known as brown bear.