The brown bear (Ursus arctos) is a usually solitary animal, they are only seen in groups when they are cubs with their mother, who are usually with her for a few months or even years. They also form aggregations next to areas of abundant food or during the mating season. Despite their name, not all grizzly bears are that color. Some individuals are so dark that they appear black, others have a light golden hue, and still others may have grayish fur.
In this tab on our site we will tell you about this species of bear that has 18 subspecies (some extinct). In Spain we have the Iberian subspecies (Ursus arctos pyrenaica). We will talk about its physical characteristics, habitat, diet and many other curiosities.
Origin of the brown bear
The brown bear is native to Eurasia and North America, having also existed in Africa, but this subspecies is now extinct. His ancestor, the cave bear, was deified by ancient humans, being a deity for ancient cultures
The presence of bears in Asia and North America is very homogeneous and the populations are not very fragmented, unlike the populations in Western Europe, where most have disappeared, being relegated to isolated mountainous areas. In Spain, we can find brown bears in the Cantabrian Mountains and in the Pyrenees.
Brown Bear Characteristics
The brown bear has many characteristics of a carnivore, such as long, pointed tusks for tearing flesh and a short digestive tract. Its teeth, on the other hand, are flat, prepared to crush vegetables. Males can reach a weight of 115 kg and females 90 kg.
They are plantigrade, that is, they fully support the soles of the legs when walking. They may also stand on their hind legs to see better, reach for food, or mark trees. It is able to climb and swim. They are long-lived animals, living between 25 and 30 years in the wild and a few years longer when they live in captivity.
Brown Bear Habitat
The favorite places for brown bears are the forests, where they can find a wide variety of food, leaves, fruits and other animals. The bear varies the use of the forest according to the season. During the day, it burrows into the ground to make shallow beds, and during the fall it looks for more rocky areas. During the winter, they use natural caves or excavate them to hibernate and are called oseras
Depending on the area in which they live, they have territories that are more or less large These territories are larger in boreal areas, both in America like Europe. Bears that live in more temperate zones, as the forests are denser, have a greater source of food and need less territory.
Brown Bear Feeding
Despite having carnivorous characteristics, the brown bear has an omnivorous diet, highly influenced by the time of year, where vegetables predominate. During the spring their diet is based on herbaceous and some carcasses of other animals. In summer, when the fruits ripen, they feed on them, sometimes, although it is very rare, they can attack domestic cattle and continue eating carrion, they also look for precious honey and ants
Before hibernation, during the fall, to increase fat intake, they feed on acorns from different trees, such as beeches and oaks. It is the most critical moment, because food begins to be scarce and the success of winter survival depends on it. Bears need to eat 10 to 16 kg of food every day
Brown Bear Breeding
The rutting season of bears takes place in spring, they have two cycles that can last between one and ten days. The cubs are born inside the cave where their mother spends the hibernation period, during the month of January, and they spend approximately a year and a half with her, so the females can have cubs every two years. They are usually born between 1 and 3 puppies
During oestrus, both males and females mate with several different individuals in order to prevent infanticide by males, they don't know for sure if they are their offspring or not.
ovulation is induced, so it only occurs if there is intercourse, which increases the chances of pregnancy. The ovum is not implanted immediately, but remains floating in the uterus until autumn, when it is fixed and the gestation that lasts two months really begins.
Brown Bear Hibernation
In the fall, bears go through a period of overeating, where they eat more calories than they need for daily survival. This helps them to accumulate fat and be able to overcome hibernation, when the bear stops eating, drinking, urinating and defecating. In addition, pregnant females will need energy to give birth and feed their cubs until spring, when they will emerge from the den.
During this period, your heart rate slows from 40 beats per minute to just 10, the respiratory rate drops by half and temperature drops by about 4°C.
