Brown Bear
Europe
The brown bear is a large bear that lives deep in Europe's forests. Its fur can be anything from brown to black, and it has an excellent sense of smell. In the fall it eats as much as it can to fatten up, then sleeps in its den all winter long.
Quick facts
- Habitat
- It lives in the deep forests and tundra of Europe's mountains.
- Diet
- It eats berries, nuts, fish, and small animals.
- Size and weight
- Height 1.7–2.8m, weight 100–700kg.
- Lifespan
- 20–30 years
- Conservation status
- Least Concern
- Fun facts
- During its winter sleep, it doesn't wake up for months!
Its sense of smell is 2,000 times better than a human's.
Learn more
The mightiest salmon fishing king of the forest!
The amazing secrets of the fluffy, adorable brown bear
Basic facts about the brown bear
A big explorer roaming the forest
- Habitat — deep forests and tundra of North America and Eurasia
- Favorite food — berries, nuts, salmon, small animals
- Size and weight — up to 2.8m tall, weighing up to 700kg
- Lifespan — averages 20–30 years in the wild
The forest's ultimate superpower
Big and heavy, yet very smart and sharp-sensed
- Amazing sense of smell — it can smell 2,000 times better than a human, easily finding food far away.
- Tremendous strength — strong enough to push aside a huge rock or heavy log.
- A sharp brain — its large brain relative to its body lets it use tools and solve complex problems.
Master of salmon hunting
A smart fishing strategy to gain energy
- Rich nutrition — in autumn, it catches salmon returning to the river to build up energy for winter.
- A smart choice — it often hunts female salmon in particular to eat their energy-rich eggs.
- A hunter of the night — some bears quietly hunt salmon under cover of darkness to avoid competition.
A cozy, deep winter sleep
The brown bear's special way of getting through the cold winter
- An autumn feast — before hibernating, it eats tens of thousands of calories a day to build up a thick layer of fat.
- Deep sleep — it sleeps for months without waking even once, in a warm cave or den.
- Birth of cubs — mother bears sometimes give birth to adorable cubs inside the den during their long, quiet hibernation.
Brown bear families around the world
Names and looks vary slightly depending on where they live
- Kodiak bear — lives on Kodiak Island, Alaska, the biggest giant among bears.
- Himalayan brown bear — lives high in the Himalayas, with sandy, reddish-brown fur.
- Ussuri brown bear — lives in the deep forests of Asia, a handsome friend with a white fur patch on its neck.
A reliable gardener tending the forest
An important friend that keeps the forest ecosystem healthy
- Brown bears roam between forest and river, spreading seeds and enriching the forest.
- Though it may look fearsome, the brown bear is actually one of the forest's best friends, enriching nature!