Very large brown bears can measure almost 9 feet tall when standing on their hind legs. Bears eat meat: Ranges from 200 to 1000 pounds depending on sex, location, and season.
When laying down to rest, Alaskan brown bears dig “belly holes” to accomodate their food-filled bellies—the bigger the belly, th ebigger the hole! American black and polar bears by their distinct shoulder hump, dish-shaped face, and long claws. They can vary in color from black to blonde. Brown bears, also known as grizzly bears, can be found in many of our national parks. The name grizzly usually refers to bears living inland, away from the coast. While bears of the same species might look similar, everything from their size, coloring, diet, and sleeping patterns depend on the bear’s location.
For example, a bear’s diet varies depending on what foods are available during a specific season in a specific region. For more information about bears and bear behavior in a specific national park, please contact that park. Brown bears are omnivorous, eating a mixed diet of plants, berries, fish, and small mammals. Unlike black bears, brown bears have long, strong claws that they use to dig for food, pick fruits, and catch prey. Brown bears are very intelligent, curious, and skilled at finding food. Bears who are fed by humans may begin to associate people with food, and this can become dangerous. So please remember: No matter where you are, don’t feed the bears!
Grizzly bears in Yellowstone eat a wide variety of foods. They are effective predators and prey on vulnerable animals such as elk calves and spawning trout, or small mammals and insects. Their long claws and strong shoulders allow them dig efficiently for food. They eat a variety of plants, including pine nuts, berries, grasses, glacier lilies, roots, bulbs, tubers, and dandelions. Read more about grizzly bear recovery and conservation in Yellowstone. Grizzlies will also scavenge meat, when available, from elk and bison carcasses or road kill. Grizzly bears spend most of their time feeding, eating up to 30 pounds of food per day to store fat for the winter.
Alaskan brown bears are the largest brown bears and require a very high caloric intake of food. Brown bears in Alaska can eat 80 to 90 pounds of food per day in the summer and fall, gaining around three to six pounds of fat each day, in order to store fat for the winter. Alaskan brown bears are opportunistic eaters and will eat almost anything. Their diet consists of berries, flowers, grasses, herbs, and roots. They get their protein from beavers, deer, caribou, salmon, carcasses, and other small mammals. Winter Dens Most brown bears spend the winter hibernating in dens to avoid the cold weather and lack of abundant food sources.