Grizzly Bear - Sierra Club BC
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Grizzly Bear

CAN BE FOUND IN:

Grizzly Bear

Ursus arctos horribilis 

Appearance

Grizzly bears can grow to two and a half metres long. Males can weigh up to 440 kilograms and females can weigh up to 200 kilograms (even more if they feed on salmon). They can walk upright, have an excellent sense of smell, and are extremely intelligent. Grizzly bears can run up to 55 kilometres per hour. 

Range & Habitat

Grizzlies once ranged all over North America, but now they are mostly found in the Pacific northwest. Just over 13,000 grizzlies live in B.C. Male grizzlies range over 60 to 700 square kilometres, females range over 25 to 200 square kilometres. They live in wild areas, undisturbed by humans.

Reciprocal Relationships

Grizzly bears are omnivores, and they feed on salmon, carrion, trout, small rodents, insects, berries, leaves and roots. Despite popular opinion, plants are 80 to 90 percent of their diet. In autumn, a grizzly can eat 200,000 berries in one day, but during the salmon run, salmon become about 95 percent of their diet. These salmon carcasses then contribute nutrients to the surrounding tree species! In winter, grizzly bears den up in tree hollows, caves, and holes on a steep slope, and enter a deep sleep called torpor (not a true hibernation). 

These bears are threatened by habitat loss from logging and development, and they are also hunted for their hides. However, we don’t have a completely negative relationship with grizzly bears. In fact, in British Columbia three distinct genetic grizzly bear grounds were found to overlap with the territories of three First Nations Language groups: Tsimshian, Wakashan and Salishan Nuxalk. This may confirm that we are more connected to grizzlies than we thought. Grizzly bears do still face many threats, but some populations have been improving due to human stewardship. 

Status

COSEWIC: Special Concern 
CDC: Blue 

Photo Credit

Mya Van Woudenberg

More Information

If you belong to a First Nation with a story or piece of information not represented here and you would like to share more about this species, please email us at education@sierraclub.bc.ca

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