Order 880588: grizzly bear

Grizzly Bears

By; Braiden Holloway

The grizzly bear’s is the second largest bear in the world right after the polar bear. The grizzly bear can stand 8 feet tall on its back feet. Grizzly bears are common in Montana, Alaska, Idaho, Wyoming, Washington and in Canada. Only about 1,500 live in those states 800 living in Montana and 600 living in Wyoming the rest are scattered throughout the other states.

Grizzly bears are omnivores they eat berries, roots, and insects for meat they eat just about anything they can catch small rodents, elk. In the late summer early fall grizzly bear’s diets expand greatly during a process called hyperphagia a period of 2-4 months when they intensify their calorie intake to put on weight for the winters denning. Grizzly bears hibernate 5 to 7 months of the year. Grizzly bears are not true hibernators as most people think. Grizzly bears and Brown bears go into a deep sleep during the winter months, known as torpor, the animal can wake up quickly and easily. During true hibernation, the animal’s body temperature drops to match the outside temperature, and their heart rate and rate of breathing slows down.

The evolution process of the Grizzly Bear is still relatively unknown. They are believed to have travelled to North America approximately 50,000 years ago. They are a subspecies of the Brown Bear and it is believed that due to environmental changes such as the climate changes the grizzly bear ended up in the higher parts of North America. In order to survive it had to develop a different type of coat as well as the hump on the back to helps it have the strength necessary for survival it gives them more power and its full of muscle tissue.

The mating season for Grizzly Bears starts in mid-May and will continue until the middle of July, with cubs born between the end of January and early March. The males will become increasingly aggressive during this period of time. They don’t want any other males in their area but at the same time they are trying to reach the females scents they are picking up on. The courting is very simple with the bears chasing each other, play fighting or even nuzzling.

Grizzly Bears aren’t faced with any real predators in the wild. Battles that ensue between the males or when a female is protecting cubs can cause death. When food is scarce these battles become more frequent. Humans pose a huge threat to the survival of the Grizzly Bears. There are many trophy hunters out there that want to score one of them.

Grizzly bears are the second fastest right after the black bear. Their top speed is 30 miles per hour: they can maintain that speed for about 25 to 30 yards. A grizzly bears bite is approximately 1100 psi: scientist say they can bite threw a cast iron bowl. Grizzly bears claws are about 3 to 4 inches long: they use them to dig in the dirt to get roots and other food they need to survive. Male grizzly bears are estimated to live for 22 to 23 years, female grizzly bears are estimated to live 26 years, The reason Females live longer than males is due to their less dangerous lifestyle, avoiding the seasonal breeding fights in which males engage.