Grizzly Bear Facts
Grizzly Bear Facts
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Grizzly bear is subspecies of the brown bear. These huge animals originate from Europe and Asia, but today they can be found only in North America and Canada. They live in woodlands, forests and valleys near rivers. During 1970s number of grizzly bears dropped significantly because of the mass hunt. Since that time, hunting of bears is prevented by law, and their number gradually increased in time. Today, grizzly bear is "threatened" species which means almost endangered.
| Interesting Grizzly Bear Facts: |
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| Grizzly bear has brown fur, but hairs on the shoulders and back have white tops which give them "grizzled" look. That is why they are known as grizzly bears. |
| You can recognize grizzly bears by the hump on their back. Hump is made of muscles. |
| Grizzly bears use growls, roars and snorts to communicate with each other. |
| Grizzly bear is huge animal. Most bears weigh between 300 and 800 pounds, but some captured animals weighed up to 1400 pounds. |
| Grizzly has 3-4 feet in height when it is on all four legs. It can be up to 8 feet tall when it stands on back feet. |
| Although grizzly bears are large animals, 75% of their diet is comprised of berries, leaves and nuts. They also like to eat fish, rodents and moose. Animals that eat plants and animals are called "omnivores". |
| Male grizzly is solitary animal (it prefers lonely life). They can be seen in large groups during migratory season of salmon. Bears will enter the shallow water and catch the fish when they jump out of the water. |
| They will eat up to 25 fish per day when they are preparing for hibernation to gain as much fat reserves as possible (up to 3 pounds per day). |
| Hibernation lasts between 5 and 8 months. During hibernation, their metabolic processes, breathing and heart rate will slow down and they will survive solely on their fat reserves. During hibernation, grizzly can wake up at any time. |
| Mating season lasts from late spring to early summer, but females become pregnant when they enter hibernation. They give birth to 2 cubs few months before the hibernation ends. |
| Cubs will stay with their mother 2-4 years. She is very protective and if you come close to her cubs she can easily kill you. |
| Cubs can climb trees when they are young. After few years they will lose this ability because of their long claws. Bear's claw is long like human's finger. |
| Bears are excellent swimmers. They are also fast runners; they can run up to 30 miles per hour. |
| They have perfect eyesight and excellent sense of smell. They will detect smell better than hound dog. |
| Grizzly lives up to 30 years in the wild and up to 40 years in captivity. |
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