I’m going to share some of the most fantastic grizzly bear facts for kids. The grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) also called silvertip bear inhabits all throughout North America, is a subspecies of brown bear. Brown bears are usually found in the western side of North America. These types of animals are believed to have come down from the Ussri brown bears that had lived some 100,000 years before. Grizzly bears are typically solitary animals while most of the young bears can be found in groups with their mothers. They are mostly found at the freshwater streams, marshes, coastal regions, lakes, rivers, and ponds where there is abundant of salmon spawn. The juveniles at birth normally weigh around 500 g (1 lb).
Attractive Grizzly Bear Facts For Kids
- The weight of the female grizzly bears is around 130 – 200 kg (290 – 440 lb), whereas the males weigh around 180-360 kg (400 – 790 lb) on an average.
- On an average, these species are 198 cm (6.50 feet) long, with the shoulder height of about 102 cm (3.35 feet), and the length of the rearfoot measures around 28 cm (11 inches).
- The weight of the new-born cubs is around 500 grams (1.1 lb).
- There are some large species that weigh around 680 kg (1,500 lb) even though this much weight is not common.
- The grizzly bears have dense brown hair that covers all over its body.
- The average lifespan of grizzly bears is 20 – 25 years even some species are expected to survive up to 30 years.
- As compared to black bears, grizzly bears are slightly more aggressive when it comes to defending their territories. They do not climb up the tree as the size is too big to do such act; therefore, when the predators arrive they do not lose their ground.
- These species are rather more dangerous when they have cubs to care for and they can attack even humans while protecting their cubs.
- They do not like to make contact with humans and they often disappear into woods when one approaches them.
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Where Do Grizzly Bears Live
These types of brown bears are known to reside across North America, Europe, and Asia. Their ancestors were believed to have emerged some 50,000 years ago. Previously, these mammals were all over Mexico and Alaska as well as Far East and western shores of Hudson Bay. Grizzly bears are now found all throughout western Canada, Alaska, some places of northwestern United States, such as Washington, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, and Grand Teton National Parks. These species inhabit across Great Plains as well as southwestern states.
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According to a rough estimate, there are around 25,000 grizzly bears inhabiting Alberta, Northwest Territories, Nunavut Ontario, British Columbia, and the northern side of Manitoba. They occupy more than 90% of the habitat range in British Columbia. The grizzly bears population faced a sudden decline due to extreme hunting, deforestation, and habitat loss.
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The numbers have now decreased to a few thousands since 2008 when it were 16,014 individuals counted. On the positive side, there are rescue organizations that have come forward in order to save this much hunting and as a result grizzly bears have been granted legal protection in European countries and Mexico including United States and Canada. There are total numbers of 55,000 grizzly bear species across North America.
Reproduction
These types of wild animals are known to have slowest reproductive rates all throughout the North America possibly due to various ecological factors.
They reach the maturity age after 5 years.
The females litter 2 cubs which are looked after for almost 2 years. However, when these cubs are killed or eaten, females do not litter any more cubs for at least 2 – 3 years.
These species are known to occupy greater territories up to 4,000 sq. km (1,500 sq. mi).
What Do Grizzly Bears Eat
Despite the fact that Grizzly bears belong to the order of Carnivora, they are typically omnivorous as most of their diet consists of plants and animals. Some of the most grizzly bears diet is composed of deer, moose, elk, bison, some black bears, and sheep. They are also known to prey on large mammals. They are very fond of hunting fish including trout, salmon, and bass that are rich in proteins which is why they are often found near ponds, marshes, and streams where fish is abundant. Grizzly bears seldom eat foods that are left by other animals. It follows that grizzly bears living in Canada and Alaska are larger in size in comparison to those dwelling in Rocky Mountains.
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The size difference is mainly due to the difference in diet. Bears living in the United States more often prey tubers, whitebark pine nuts, army cutworm moths, rodents, and grasses. The bulk of the grizzly bears diet is composed of plants with an estimate of 80 – 90% plants matter. Some of the fruits include blackberries, blueberries, cranberries, huckleberries, and buffalo berries. Grizzly bears also feed on various insects such as bees, ladybugs, and ants.
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