Alaskan Brown Bear

The Alaskan Brown Bear is actually the Brown Bear, a species that was once common throughout the northern hemisphere. Today, scattered survivor groups of this Bear can be found in Western Europe, Middle East, Central Asia, eastern Siberia, and North America. Alaska and western Canada have relatively large Brown Bear population groups.

The Brown Bear is often referred to as the “Alaskan Brown Bear” because Alaska remains one of the largest strongholds of the Brown Bear population. Brown Bears are mostly concentrated in mountain woodlands, tundra, taiga and coastal areas. Brown Bears tend to choose areas providing dense cover for Bears to take shelter and build dens.

Brown Bears are the largest Bear species on the planet, although different subspecies may vary in size significantly. The Kodiak Bear, common to the Russian Far East, as well as a few other Alaskan Brown Bears commonly found in coastal regions, are the largest species, measuring up to 10 ft high and weighing about 1,500 lbs. The largest species of the Grizzly Bear are almost as big as the Kodiak Bear. However, Grizzly Bears from the Yukon region is much smaller than most Grizzlies. The Eurasian and the Syrian Brown Bears are the smallest species, weighing 200-350 lbs. Male Bears are much larger than females. There is just one thing that singles the Brown Bear out from other Bear species, and that is the concave facial profile. The coat color varies from almost black and dark brown to light brown or “grizzled”.

Alaskan Brown Bears reach sexual maturity by age of 4-6 years old, and their lifespan averages 25-30 years. They mate in spring, but it is usually not until November that the implantation takes place. Bears are polygamous, so females copulate with many males. Females stay in estrus for the entire breeding season, but remain unreceptive for several years after young are born. Birth takes place 1,5-2 months after the implantation, during winter sleep. Cubs are born blind, naked and very small. They feed on the mother’s milk for about 2 years, until they learn to hunt. They leave the mother at 3-4 years old.

Brown Bears are solitary animals, but on some occasions they can form hierarchical groups, usually dominated by adult males. Bears, especially nursing females, can be extremely dangerous to humans trespassing on their home ranges or getting too close to the young. If you have encountered a Bear in the wild, do not make rapid moves. Do not run away from the Bear under any circumstances, because these animals regard fast moving objects as prey. Do not turn your back on the Bear, because they usually attack from behind. There are lots on information on the web on how to behave in Alaskan Brown Bear habitat.