U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (Ursus arctos horribilis) A symbol
of America’s wildlands, the grizzly or brown bear is one of the
largest North American land mammals. The grizzly bear’s historic
range covered much of North America from the mid-plains westward
to California and from central Mexico north throughout Alaska
and Canada. Today, the grizzly bear is found in only about 2
percent of its original range in the lower 48 states. Grizzly
bears need a very large home range (50 to 300 square miles for
females; 200 to 500 square miles for males), encompassing
diverse forests interspersed with moist meadows and grasslands
in or near mountains. In the spring, bears usually range at
lower elevations and go to higher altitudes for winter
hibernation. Larger than the black bear, male grizzly bears
stand about 7 feet tall and weigh from 300 to 600 pounds (and
occasionally more than 800). Females are smaller, usually
weighing between 200 and 400 pounds. Although a standing grizzly
is commonly perceived to be a threate