LIVE GRIZZLY BEAR WEBCAM AT REID PARK ZOO

More info: The grizzly bear, also known as the North American brown bear or simply grizzly, is a subspecies of the brown bear and inhabits North America.



Grizzlies are typically brown, though their fur can appear to be white-tipped, or grizzled, hence their name. The grizzly bear is typically larger than the black bear has a large muscle mass above its shoulders, and much more aggressive behaviour.

The grizzly diet includes rodents, insects, elk calves, cutthroat trout, roots, pine nuts, grasses, and large mammals. Thanks to a diet high in fat, coastal bears in Alaska and Russia that eat salmon can become much larger than inland bears that eat more plant material. During warmer months, grizzly bears eat a massive amount of food so they can live off body fat during the winter, when food is scarce.

In the winter, grizzly bears retreat to their dens and enter a deep sleep – this is not true hibernation and is called torpor. During torpor, their heart rate slows down from 40 beats per minute to 8, breathing rate decreases, body temperature reduces slightly and the bears do not urinate or defaecate. The main difference between hibernation and torpor is that during torpor, the animal is able to wake up easily if in danger.

Grizzly bears may live from 15 to 30 years. They are agile and can run up to a speed of 40 miles per hour. Grizzly bears mate in spring and give birth in winter to 1 to 3 cubs.