Quick answer
Key facts about brown bear — size, diet, habitat, and conservation in one place.
Diet and seasonal feeding
Brown bears are omnivores whose diet shifts with the seasons. In spring they graze on sedges and roots; summer brings berries and insects; autumn is dominated by hyperphagia as bears pack on fat before winter. Coastal bears gather at salmon runs, while inland populations rely more on plants and small mammals.
Hibernation and reproduction
Pregnant females enter dens in late autumn and give birth during hibernation, usually to one to three cubs that nurse and grow inside the den until spring. Hibernation slows heart rate and metabolism dramatically, allowing bears to survive months without eating, drinking, or passing waste.
Range and subspecies
Brown bears once ranged across much of western North America, Europe, and temperate Asia. Today they persist in Scandinavia, the Carpathians, the Rockies, Alaska, and Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula. The North American grizzly and the Kodiak bear are well-known subspecies of Ursus arctos.
Conservation and human conflict
Globally listed Least Concern, brown bears nevertheless face local declines from habitat fragmentation, poaching, and conflict with livestock. Responsible bear-country practices — securing food, carrying deterrents, and giving mothers with cubs space — reduce dangerous encounters.