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NARRATOR: Furry and adorable
or fierce and aggressive?

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Like many animals, the grizzly
bear can be all of the above.

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These beauties of North America
are a subspecies of brown bear

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that once roamed large
areas of the American West.

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Though still common in
Alaska and Western Canada,

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their population has dwindled
in the lower 48 states

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with their home ranges in
rural, isolated locations.

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Their habitat varies
widely from dense forests,

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to Alpine Meadows, to open
plains, and arctic tundra.

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Grizzly bears home ranges
span up to 1,000 square miles.

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They wander the land
foraging and hunting.

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Their meals dependent on the
season and food availability.

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They are predators at the
top of the food chain.

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Though, much of the
grizzly bear diet

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consists of fruit, roots,
grasses, and insects.

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A hungry male can consume up to
40,000 moths in just one summer

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day.

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In fact, a number
of the grizzlies

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physical characteristics center
around finding and eating

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their meals.

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Grizzly bear claws
are longer and less

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curved than those
of the black bear,

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making them well suited to
digging up plants or rodents.

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And with a nose more
sensitive than a hound dog’s,

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grizzlies can detect
food from miles away.

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Their distinctive hump is
a large muscle mass that

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adds strength when digging.

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It is also one of the
distinguishing differences

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between grizzlies and
their black bear relatives.

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Running at 40 miles per
hour, adult grizzlies

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are nearly twice as fast
as the fastest humans.

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This speed is essential
when grizzlies hunt larger

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prey like elk calves.

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Grizzly bears scavenge
constantly for nutrition,

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especially during hyperphagia,
a period of two to four months

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when grizzlies can gain more
than three pounds per day

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to prepare for hibernation.

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During this period
of winter rest,

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they'll live off the
layer of built up fat,

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not needing to eat, drink,
or release any waste.

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Over the winter, a grizzly
bear can lose 15% to 30%

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of its body weight.

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They'll emerge as
the weather warms

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and food is again plentiful.

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But for females who were
pregnant before hibernation,

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they won't be alone come spring.

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For during the
hibernation period,

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they will have given
birth, often to twins.

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And the three will venture
out into the wild together,

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mother and cubs in tow.