Free Teacher Resources
A brown grizzly bear walking through dry grass.
Photo: Jean Beaufort, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Grizzly Bear

Ursus arctos (grizzly bears are a subspecies of brown bear)

A big North American brown bear with a shoulder hump and silver-tipped fur, and the symbol on California's state flag.

🐻 Bears
Checking teacher reviews…
Teacher? Sign in to review this page →Report a mistake

About the Grizzly Bear

Grizzly bears live in mountain forests, tundra and high meadows in Alaska, western Canada, Idaho, Montana, Washington and Wyoming. They can weigh up to 800 pounds and stand about 7 feet tall. White-tipped hairs on the back give them a "grizzled" look. A muscular shoulder hump powers digging, and front claws can be 4 inches long. Grizzlies can run up to 35 miles per hour.[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Ursus arctos (grizzly bears are a subspecies of brown bear)[1]
Size
About 7 feet tall standing up. Front claws up to 4 inches.[1]
Weight
Up to 800 pounds.[1]
Lifespan
15 to 20 years in the wild. About 30 in human care.[1]
Diet
Omnivore. Plants, roots, berries and meat.[1]
Habitat
Mountain forests, tundra and subalpine areas.[1]
Where it lives
Alaska, western Canada, Idaho, Montana, Washington and Wyoming.[1]
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN Red List, brown bear, assessed 2016).[2]

Fun facts

  • The grizzly bear is California's state mammal and is on its state flag.[1]
  • Grizzlies can run up to 35 miles per hour.[1]
  • Brown bears have the largest range of any bear species.[1]
  • The bears at SF Zoo were rescued orphan sisters from Montana.[1]

Vocabulary

subspecies
A group within a species that lives in a certain area and looks a little different from other groups.
grizzled
Streaked or tipped with gray or white.
omnivore
An animal that eats both plants and other animals.
scat
An animal's droppings.
tundra
Cold, treeless land where the ground is frozen much of the year.

See it in person

Sources

  1. [1] San Francisco Zoo & Gardens. “Grizzly Bear.” https://www.sfzoo.org/grizzly-bear/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  2. [2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Ursus arctos (Brown Bear).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/41688/121229971 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

More Bears

A black-and-white giant panda standing among green plants.Giant PandaAiluropoda melanoleucaA black-and-white bear of the mountain bamboo forests of southwestern China that eats almost nothing but bamboo.A black sun bear with a pale chest patch sitting up among green plants.Malayan Sun BearHelarctos malayanusThe smallest bear, a tree-climbing honey lover of Southeast Asian forests with a golden patch on its chest and the longest tongue of any bear.