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Ursus arctos The brown bear lives in the northern parts of Europe, in Asia, and in North America. There are several types of brown bears. The one found in most of the United States is called the grizzly. Its weight, size and strength are remarkable. The grizzly is not the largest bear alive, though. The Kodiak bear, which lives in Alaska, is bigger. It weighs up to 1,000 pounds and can be as tall as 9 feet. The grizzly was widely hunted in the 1800's because trappers who caught one were greatly admired. There were about 100,000 of them in the early 1900's. Now there are only about 1,000 left. Grizzly bears eat roots and berries, animal meat, fish, insect larvae, young deer, rodents and even livestock. They live in large wide open spaces (up to 400 square miles for adult males) that overlap with those of black bears; violent fights sometimes break out between the 2 kinds of bears. Grizzly bears sometimes attack when disturbed by humans. the grizzly is more at peace with its own kind and is the most sociable of the North American bears. From May to June, males fight for females. These fights rarely end in death. A male mates with 1 or 2 females and birth takes place from January to March. Between 2 and 4 cubs are born. They are weaned at around 5 months of age, but usually stay with their mother for 2 to 4 years.
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