The grizzly bear is the largest and most powerful of Alberta's carnivores. Adults weigh from 140 to 450 kg (300 to 1000 lb.); sows average about 50 kg lighter than boars. Grizzly bears vary in color from tawny-brown to black. Often the hair is sun-bleached giving it a "grizzled" appearance. In profile, the snout rises sharply into a broad "dished" face. There is a hump of long hair on the neck and shoulders. However, this hair may be shed for a period in late spring and summer. Claws are long, curved and obvious in tracks. Grizzly bears reach breeding maturity by the age of 6 or 7 years. Like black bears, they mate in June or July, and the embryo does not develop until fall when bears enter dens for their winter dormancy. One or two cubs are born during the winter. At birth, cubs weigh only 340 to 680 g (12 to 24 oz.), but grow rapidly to about 15 kg (33 lb.) by the time they leave the den in April. The sow aggressively protects her cubs from all real or possible threats, including grizzly boars (adult males), which may attack and kill undefended cubs. Cubs remain with sows through the second winter, but leave her before she mates again. Like black bears, grizzly bears are omnivorous (eat both plants and animals). The diet of a grizzly bear includes roots, grasses, berries, insects, fish, ground squirrels and mice. They readily eat carrion, and occasionally kill Deer, Moose, Ek or even Black bears. Grizzly bears prefer open country, and are found in the foothill, mountain and boreal regions of the province. They once occupied the prairie and parkland, but settlers eliminated the species from most of these areas. Their current range includes areas in or near the Rocky Mountains and an isolated population in the Swan Hills. (Things to do when Hiking In bear country)
(This text information was provided by Alberta Government Resource Development)
