Alaskan Brown Bear

The Brown and grizzly bears are classified as the same species, even though there are some differences in the bears. Brown bears resemble the black bear, but the brown bear is larger, has a larger shoulder hump, long thick fur, long thick mane at the back of the neck, and smaller ears. Polar bears are similar in size, and do not have a hump. Brown bears have a keen sense of smell, and their hearing and eyesight are similar to humans.

Brown bears live along the Southern coast on the pacific side of Alaska, where they find seasonal salmon, abundant vegetation, and milder climate. The climate and abundance of food allows them to grow larger than the grizzly bear that lives in the Northern and interior part of Alaska. Brown bears can be predators to small moose and caribou, as well as human campsites, homes, and domestic animals.

Brown bears are generally solitary in nature, but are often found in large groups in feeding areas, which provide opportunity for people to watch or hunt. In the winter they hibernate in dens, and their body functions are drastically reduced. A female brown bear's fertilized egg divides and floats free in the uterus for six months, during hibernation the fetus attaches to the uterine walls, and eight weeks later one to four cubs are born, while the mother sleeps.

Over 98 percent of the brown bear population in the United States is in Alaska. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game provides the best scientific knowledge possible to maintain a healthy population for brown bears, conserve their habitat, prevent over harvest, and conduct studies to understand how bears and people can co-exist.