This large animal reaches weights of 300-1500 pounds.
The coat color ranges from shades of blond, brown, black or a
combination of these; the long outer guard hairs are often tipped
with white or silver giving it a grizzled appearance hence the
name. The grizzly has a large hump over the shoulders which is
a muscle mass used to power the forelimbs in digging. The head
is large and round with a concave facial profile. In spite of
their mass size this bear runs at speeds of up to 35 mph.
The grizzly bear is primarily nocturnal and in the winter
puts on up to 400 pounds of fat, becoming very lethargic. Although
they are not true hibernators and can be woken easily, they like
to den up in a protected spot, such as a cave, crevice or hollow
log during the winter months. Being omnivores, they feed on a
variety of plants and berries including roots or sprouts and fungi
as well as fish, insects and small mammals. Normally a solitary
animal, the grizzly congregates alongside streams and rivers during
the salmon spawn. Every other year females produce 1-4 young which
are the size of rats, weighing only 1 pound.
