The grizzly bear is a subspecies of the brown bear, and lives primarily in North America. Most grizzly bears are colored a dark brown, while some may have a blondish color to them, and still others are a pure black. The bears have large lumps above their shoulders, which are extra strong muscles that they use for digging. A grizzly bear can run up to about 55 miles per hour if provoked or if it needs to chase something.
Every year the bears produce about four young bears. These large beautiful animals can typically be seen in Canada, Alaska, and the states of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. They usually live in mountainous regions near lakes and streams. Grizzly bears are omnivores, meaning they eat both plants and animals. A typical grizzly diet often consists of things such as berries, roots, and fungi, in combination with trout, salmon, and small mammals, although in some cases a grizzly bear will ear larger pretty such as sheep or moose. The bears eat a lot in the spring and summer because they want to gain as much body fat as possible before hibernation. The body fat helps to keep the bears warm during the winter months.
The grizzly bear is considered a powerful, sacred spirit in the Native American culture. Movies such as “Brother Bear” show how these animals are considered to be a spirit animal and that some members of the tribes may be labeled as bears, subsequently earning them such animal on the family totem pole. While grizzly bears are generally peaceful and keep to themselves, they will attack if they feel threatened. The most common bear attacks involve the sow protecting her cubs, and she feels threatened so she attacks a human in her way. Currently grizzly bears are considered endangered, so we must treat them with the proper respect that they deserve.