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Grizzly Bear - Ursus arctos
Description
This large animal can weight as much as 300-1500 pounds. The grizzly
has a large hump over the shoulders, different to the black bear, which
is a muscle mass giving power to the forelimbs for digging. The head is
large and round. Although they are massive in size they can run at
speeds of up to 35 mph. The coat color of the grizzly ranges from
shades of blond, brown, black or a combination, the long outer guard
hairs can be tipped with white or silver giving it a grizzled
appearance, so the name, grizzly.
Biology
They are not true hibernators and have been easily woken, they do
like to den up in a protected spot, such as a cave, crevice or hollow
log during the winter months, anything that can protect them from the
fierce winter. Every two years, females can produce 1-4 cubs which are
so tiny, weighing only 1 pound. The grizzly bear is primarily nocturnal
and before the winter they can put on up to 400 pounds of fat, becoming
very lethargic. The bears begin coming out of their dens in mid-March.
When these bears emerge, they are hungry, grumpy and aggressive. Not a
good time to get between a bear and its food or if a female, mother and
her young. They are omnivores, meaning they feed on a variety of plants
and berries including roots or sprouts and fungi as well as fish,
insects and small mammals. Normally an animal of solitude, the grizzly
can usually be spotted alongside streams and rivers especially during
the salmon spawn.
Distribution
They were at one time, native to Asia, Africa, Europe and North
America, now in some areas they are totally extinct or have had their
numbers greatly reduced. Nearly half of Canada's grizzly population,
about 12,000, lives in British Columbia. They prefer semi-open country
usually in the mountain areas. In BC it inhabits most of the province
except Vancouver Island, the Queen Charlotte Islands and the lower
mainland.
Tracks
The footprint of the grizzly bear are very distinctive by an oval
pad with five toes along the wider top of the pad on the hind feet. The
front feet have a small heel pad and a dew claw which may also show in
the print. Claw marks are usually evident and are over twice as long as
the toe pads.
Straddle: 32 - 38 cm (12.8 - 15.2 in)
Stride: 30 - 45 cm (12 - 18 in)
Front 
11 cm (4.4 in) long
10 cm (4 in) wide
Rear 
18 cm (7.2 in) long
9 cm (3.6 in) wide
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the grizzly as a
threatened species in the lower 48 states, estimating less than 1,000
bears remain.
At one time, populations were thought to be between 50,000 to
100,000 bears in the 1800s in North America. But by 1900, Only a few
bears remained in scattered areas. Much like many other game animals of
the west, the grizzly was hunted and poached to near extinction.
To-day I would like to tell you that the grizzly is coming back,
but unfortunately, they are still being poached for their claws and
gallbladder. Park Wardens are still reporting coming across the remains
of grizzly with only these things missing. A very sad excuse to
eliminate a whole species, unless something is done very quickly, this
majastic animal will no longer be with us to roam the mountains.
Eastern Slopes - Grizzly Bear Projest
Walking with Giants - The Grizzlies of Siberia
The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem - Home to the Grizzly
Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee
Monitoring Grizzly Bear Populations using DNA
