Brown Bear

Brown bears, also called grizzly bears, are famous for their large size—and their appetite! They are omnivores, which means they will eat nearly anything that is easy to find. They eat up to 90 pounds of food per day in autumn to prepare for winter, when they become less active and lose half their body weight. They can smell a rotting carcass more than 2 miles away!

Brown bears are about 4 feet tall at the shoulder, rising to 8 feet tall when they stand on their hind legs. They’re fast, too, moving up to 30 miles per hour when they run. Males can weigh more than 1,000 pounds. Females are usually smaller. They live about 25 years in the wild.

Cubs—usually two or three at a time—are born in the winter and stay with their mother in her den. She will raise them alone until they are 2–3 years old and can find their own food.