The brown bear, Ursus arctos, is a large bear native to Eurasia and North America and, among land carnivorans, rivalled in size only by its closest relative the polar bear. Adults generally weigh 80 to 600 kilograms, with males at least 30 percent larger than females, and the fur runs from cream through reddish to dark brown. Large hump muscles, unique among bears, and broad paws help it dig. It is omnivorous and takes about 90 percent of its diet from plants, though it also hunts animals from insects and rodents up to moose, and in places such as the Kamchatka peninsula and coastal Alaska it feeds mostly on spawning salmon. It lives mainly in forested habitats from sea level up to 5,000 metres and averages about 25 years in the wild. The IUCN lists it as least concern, although several southern populations are highly endangered and others, such as the Atlas bear, were hunted to extinction.
Facts
Classification
System (Realm) ThreatsAgriculture and Aquaculture 1 ThreatsTransportation and Service Corridors 1 ThreatsBiological Resource Use 1 Relationship to People Relationship to PeopleVenomous or Dangerous to Humans 1 Living or Extinct Conservation Status Population Estimate Population Estimate Activity Pattern Activity Pattern Connections
Child Taxon Of
Ursus, Taxa Source Brown bear (Wikipedia)
In Biome
Source Brown bear (Wikipedia)
In Ecosystem
Source Brown bear (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Brown bear (Wikipedia)Lead, where it livesQuote, Lead, where it lives
is a large bear native to Eurasia and North America
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Brown bear (Wikipedia)Distribution and habitat, where it livesQuote, Distribution and habitat, where it lives
The largest populations are in Russia with 130,000, the United States with 32,500, and Canada with around 25,000.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Brown bear (Wikipedia)Lead, where it livesQuote, Lead, where it lives
is a large bear native to Eurasia and North America
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Brown bear (Wikipedia)Distribution and habitat, where it lives (2)Quote, Distribution and habitat, where it lives (2)
A population of brown bears can be found on the Japanese island of Hokkaido
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Brown bear (Wikipedia)Lead, where it livesQuote, Lead, where it lives
is a large bear native to Eurasia and North America
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Brown bear (Wikipedia)Distribution and habitat, where it livesQuote, Distribution and habitat, where it lives
The largest populations are in Russia with 130,000, the United States with 32,500, and Canada with around 25,000.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Brown bear (Wikipedia)Distribution and habitat, where it livesQuote, Distribution and habitat, where it lives
The largest populations are in Russia with 130,000, the United States with 32,500, and Canada with around 25,000.
Sources
1. Brown bear (Wikipedia)
Distribution and habitat, Conservation status
it remains listed as a least-concern species by the IUCN
Distribution and habitat
Brown bears inhabit the broadest range of habitats of any living bear species.
Lead
It is omnivorous and consumes a variety of plant and animal species.
Lead, system
Throughout the brown bear's range, it inhabits mainly forested habitats in elevations of up to 5,000 m (16,000 ft).
Distribution and habitat, population estimate
There are approximately 200,000 brown bears left in the world.
Lead, population estimate
with a total estimated population in 2017 of 110,000
Distribution and habitat, Conservation status, threats
the largest are primarily threatened by overhunting
Distribution and habitat, Conservation status, threats (2)
The use of land for agriculture may negatively effect brown bears.
Distribution and habitat, Conservation status, threats (3)
roads and railway tracks could pose a serious threat
Lead, relationship to people
Attacks on humans, though widely reported, are generally rare.
Relations with humans, Bear hunting
Humans have been recorded hunting brown bears for over 10,300-9,300 years.
Lead, lifespan
with an average lifespan of 25 years in the wild
Behavior and life history
many adult bears are primarily crepuscular
Behavior and life history, activity pattern
are more likely to be fully nocturnal.
Lead, where it lives
is a large bear native to Eurasia and North America
Distribution and habitat, where it lives
The largest populations are in Russia with 130,000, the United States with 32,500, and Canada with around 25,000.
Distribution and habitat, where it lives (2)
A population of brown bears can be found on the Japanese island of Hokkaido
In Ecosystem: Yellowstone, Behavior and life history, Home ranges
In Yellowstone National Park, home ranges for females are up to 281 km2 (108 sq mi) and up to 874 km2 (337 sq mi) for males.
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