Brown bear {Bear Hunting Blog file photo]

The brown bear (Ursus arctos) can be found in North America and northern areas of Eurasia. There are sixteen recognized subspecies of the brown bear. This is the most widely distributed species of bear in the world, although its range is shrinking. Its range includes the Alaska and a few other areas of the United States, areas of Russia, and Romania and other areas of the Carpathian region, as well as Canada, Sweden, Finland, and the Balkans. The brown bear derives its common name from the coloring of its fur, and is sometimes known as bruun, bruyn, or bruin. It derives its scientific name from the Latin and Greek words for bear, ursus and arctos respectively, and this is known as a tautology.

Generally, the brown bear can reach an average body length between 4.6 and 9.2 feet, with a height between 28 to 60 inches and a tail length between 2.4 and 8.7 inches. Males can grow to be three times the size of females in many subspecies. This difference in size is shown most notably in a few subspecies, including the Eurasian brown bear and the grizzly bear. It is thought that these variations are caused by the location of each subspecies, because their genetic data does not display major differences. Inland bears are typically smaller than bears found in other areas, like the Eurasian grizzly bear, which can measure 3.3 feet in length. The largest subspecies occur in far eastern areas of Russia and in Alaska and these are the Kodiak bear and Kamchatka brown bear, although other bears from coastal Asia and western areas of North America can reach large sizes as well. Female brown bears in this area can weigh up to 700 pounds and males can reach a weight of up to 1,400 pounds. Naturally, after hibernation, brown bears will weigh considerably less than when they enter hibernation.

The fur of the brown bear is typically long, and grows longer at the neck creating a mane. The coloring of the fur can vary depending upon the location, from reddish brown in India to bi-colored in China. In North America, brown bears can vary in color from light cream to dark brown or black. The winter fur of the species is long, particularly the fur of northern subspecies, which can reach a length of five inches, and the summer fur is short and can vary in length depending upon the location. The claws of this species are long, reaching an average length between 2 and 3.9 inches. These claws can vary in color from light to dark, and are blunt. Because of this and its large size, the adult brown bear cannot climb trees.

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Source:  Red Orbit
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