Grizzly Bear

The grizzly bear is one of the three bear species that is found in North America. Other bears include the black bear and the polar bear. The grizzly bear is the second largest bear, the polar bear being the biggest. Most grizzlies can end up being at least 8 feet tall, but some have been recorded as being ten feet tall. A good why to recognize a grizzly bear is it's fur, it's very shaggy and has silver tips. This is how it got it's name. Grizzly bears also have a pronounced hump on their shoulders. They have large flat feet with extremely long claws that they use to hunt as well as dig up roots. 

The grizzly is an omnivore, meaning it eats both plants and meat. The grizzly bear diet consists of roots and berries as well as insects, fish, small animals, and carrion. It doesn't have carnassial teeth, the teeth that are used to shred meat off prey. It has molars similar to our own that are used to chew up plants. You might think that the grizzly would be lumbering and slow, but surprisingly, it can run  in short spurts up to 30 miles per hour. This allows it to catch prey like caribou and deer.

Grizzlies hibernate 5 to 7 months of the year, usually during the coldest months. Before this time, they must eat a lot to stock up on their fat reserves. It's these reserves that will allow them to survive their hibernation period. During this time, the bear's metabolism slows to a crawl so that all basic functions like heart beat and breathing are slowed so they don't waste energy. This is also the time that many bears give birth to cubs. Female bears, called sows (males are called boars) usually give birth to twins. The cubs survive on their mother's rich milk until winter is over, in which they will join their mother in search for food. A mother bear is very protective of her babies and they will aggressively protect them from humans and other bears, who will kill cubs.

The grizzly bear is an apex predator, meaning it is at the top of the food chain. Most apex creatures have no predators of their own, except humans. The grizzly bear is considered endangered, but certain populations such as the one in the Yellowstone Park, have been considered stable.

The Latin term for bear is Ursus. Interestingly enough the star constellations commonly known as the Big and Little Dipper are named Ursus Minor and Ursus Major (Little Bear and Big Bear).

Source:  The Encyclopedia of Animals, 2006, Per Christiansen.

National Geographic, Grizzly Bear (http://animals.nationalgeographic.com)