Eurasian Brown Bear

Facts about Eurasian Brown Bear, "Scientific name for Eurasian Brown Bear is Ursus arctos". The Eurasian Brown Bear has the species name Ursus arctos arctos. The Eurasian Brown Bear is also known as the European Brown Bear and the common Brown Bear. Unlike many subspecies of the Brown Bear, the Eurasian Brown Bear has a wide range and strong numbers.

Appearance of Eurasian Brown Bear

The Eurasian Brown Bear species ranges in color from light brown, beige, red-brown, dark brown and almost black. The fur can grow up to five inches long.
The common Brown Bear has several subspecies, some of which are endangered. The Eurasian Brown Bear or the far eastern Brown Bear is stable, though Bergman’s bear may be endangered, assuming it is not a Brown Bear / Polar Bear hybrid or sport of the Kamchatka bear population. The Eurasian Brown Bear is the eastern Siberian Bear. The Himalayan Brown Bear is endangered. The Eurasian Brown Bear or Tibetan Blue Bear is endangered if not extinct in the wild.

Physical Characteristics of Eurasian Brown Bear

The Eurasian Brown Bear has a rounded head, small ears and a wide skull. Its claws can grow up to five inches long.
Males Eurasian Brown Bear can reach 800 pounds (363 kg) while female Eurasian Brown Bear are smaller. The largest common Eurasian Brown Bear was eight feet long and around a thousand pounds. Some of the smaller subspecies of Eurasian Brown Bears range from 300 pounds (136 kg) for females and 500 pounds (226 kg)for the males.

Behavior of Eurasian Brown Bear

The Eurasian Bear is an omnivore. The archeological remains of these bears show animals that were up to 80% carnivorous. By the Middle Ages, this percentage dropped to 40% because of human hunting of common prey and the actions by shepherds to prevent bears from killing livestock. The Brown Bear’s diet is now 15% meat. They mostly eat berries, roots, leaves, insects, and fruit. They will eat small mammals they can catch. Bears have been known to go after human grain stores for food, with some Russian Bears actually getting drunk on grain alcohol. They will feed on dead animal carcasses and they will hunt animals like goats and sheep if other food is scarce. They only attack humans when defending their cubs or that they are starving.
Those in colder areas like Siberia hibernate from October to May. Those in warmer climates hibernate December through March. Those in the warmest areas like Syria may not hibernate at all.
They mate in the spring, between May and July. The embryos do not take root until the mother hibernates; she gives birth while hibernating. The one to three cubs remain with the mother until two to three years old. They reach sexual maturity at three to six years of age. Eurasian Brown Bears are solitary except for mothers with cubs or during mating season.

Habitat of Eurasian Brown Bear

This species covers all of Eurasia. They are also found in small populations in the Pyrenees mountains between France and Spain, the mountains of Italy and the Alps. Populations also exist in Scandinavia. However, most common Eurasian Brown Bears live in the Ural Mountain range in Russia and the Siberian plains.

Trivia of Eurasian Brown Bear

The Eurasian Brown Bear was used as a means of execution by the Romans.
The Eurasian Brown Bear is the national animal of Finland and has long been a symbol of Russia.