The Brown Bear (Ursus arctos) is a species of bear that can reach masses of 130–700 kg (290–1550 pounds). The Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos horribilis), the Kodiak Bear and the Mexican Brown Bear are North American subspecies of the Brown Bear. It is sometimes referred to poetically as the bruin.

Brown Bear rearing

Appearance

Brown Bears have furry coats in shades of blonde, brown, black, or a combination of those colors; the long outer guard hairs are often tipped with white or silver, giving a "grizzled" appearance. Brown bears have a large hump of muscle over their shoulders which give strength to the forelimbs for digging. Their forearms end in massive paws tipped with extremely powerful claws that can be up to 15 cm (5.9 inches) in length. Unlike the claws of other large predatory animals, such as lions or tigers, the claws are not retractable. This gives the claws a dull edge when compared to other predators. 

Despite the relatively dull edges to their claws, the sheer force of a blow from a large specimen is devastating. However, these claws are mainly used for digging, not for hunting. It uses its sharp canine teeth for neck-biting its prey when hunting. Bears use the same technique as tigers when hunting: they ambush their prey. Their heads are large and round with a concave facial profile. In spite of their size, some have been clocked at speeds in excess of 56 km/h (35 mph). Along with their strength and deceptive speed, Brown Bears are legendary for their physical stamina. They are capable of running at full speed for miles at a time without stopping. The largest subspecies of the Brown Bear are the Kodiak Bear and Alaskan Coastal Bear. Some exceptionally large male Kodiak stand over 3 m (10 feet) in height while on their hind legs, and weigh over 680 kg (1,500 lb).

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LINKS and REFERENCE

Bear Facts. Polar Bears International. 

Brown Bear images from British Columbia, Alaska and Yellowstone.

Endangered Species Act Listing Process for Polar Bears Underway. Center for Biological Diversity. Retrieved on 2006-07-28.

T. Appenzeller nad D. R. Dimick, "The Heat is On," National Geographic 206 (2004): 2-75. cited in Flannery, Tim (2005). The Weather Makers. Toronto, Ontario: HarperCollins. ISBN 978000200751, 101-103.

Guinness World Records, Guinness World Records 2006, Guinness (August 15, 2005), "Heaviest carnivores - world record holder", Guiness Book of World Records, p. 477.

Wildfacts - Polar bear. BBC. 

Gunderson, A. 2002. "Ursus maritimus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web.  http://animaldiversity.html.

Report of wild hybrid bear

Natural history. Center for Biological Diversity (2005-02-15). 

Polar Bear FAQ. Polar Bears International. 

http://www.itis.usda.gov/servlet/

http://www.itis.usda.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/

Iredale, Will, "Polar bears drown as ice shelf melts", The Sunday Times, 2005

Bear Specialist Group (1996). Ursus arctos. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006.

Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance, Stephen Herrero, revised edition, 2002.

Bears of the World, Terry Domico, Photographs by Terry Domico and Mark Newman, Facts on File, Inc, 1988, hardcover, ISBN 0816015368

Arctic Dreams, Barry Lopez, Macmillan 1986, hardcover, ISBN 0-333-42244-9

ARKive - images and movies of the polar bear (Ursus maritimus)

Polar Bears turn green in Singapore, a BBC News report

Polar Bears International, a Polar Bear conservation group

Sandiegozoo

Biological Diversity

The WWF Polar Bear Tracker, follow Polar Bears on Svalbard as they are tracked by satellite.

Polar Cam, live video of the Polar Bear exhibit at the San Diego Zoo. Online daily between 09:00 – 16:00 UTC-8 (or UTC-7 during Daylight saving time)

The Polar Bear Cam, live video and images from the Polar Bear migration near Churchill, Canada. Online during October and November only.

Video of Polar Bears on YouTube

Pictures of Polar Bears on the island of Spitsbergen

CBC News article on possible "grolar bear" (Polar Bear/Grizzly Bear hybrid)

Folly to predict polar bears' fate — Toronto Star, May 3, 2006

List the Polar Bear as a Threatened Species under the Endangered Species Act

Starving polar bears shame Bush to act

Global warming has U.S. rethinking polar bear status

The Polar Bear and the Global Warming

http://www.smoke-e-bear.co.uk/322980684

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