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Brown bear
Ursus arctos (Linneaus, 1758)
Scene:
Yellowstone National Park, WyomingBackground artist:
Duncan Alanson Spencer (1911-1999)Brown bears (sometimes called grizzly bears) have long been considered the most dangerous animal in North America, although they usually avoid human contact and will not attack unless startled at close quarters. They have an excellent sense of smell, human-level hearing, but relatively poor eyesight.
Brown bears were persecuted extensively as predators of domestic livestock, especially cattle and sheep, although their actual impact on the livestock industry was probably negligible.
Biological Information
Range:
Northwestern North America
Habitat:
Open grassland, tundra, and lightly forested areas
Status:
Great plains grizzly (Ursus arctos horribilis) endangered; elsewhere threatened
Diet:
Vegetation, grubs, rodents, and salmon; omnivorous in Canadian Rockies
Further information about this species may be found on the Animal Diversity Web page for brown bear.