A grizzly bear is big and heavy. Its fur can be anything from light brown to nearly black. In the lower 48 states, adult males average 400 to 600 pounds. Adult females average 250 to 350 pounds.
A grizzly eats both plants and animals. It eats berries. It eats grasses, roots and bulbs. It also eats fish, such as salmon. A grizzly has a very good sense of smell. Its nose can lead it to food from far away.
A grizzly has long claws on its front paws. It uses them to dig.
Before winter, a grizzly eats much more food than usual. In the lower 48 states, grizzlies go into their dens in the fall. A bear in its den lives on the fat it stored up during the fall.
A grizzly spends the winter sleeping in a den. Its winter sleep is not true hibernation. Its body temperature does not drop very far. Its heart beats much more slowly, and its body uses less energy. All winter, it does not eat or drink.
Cubs are born in the den in winter. A newborn cub is tiny, and its eyes are closed. A grizzly mother usually has about two cubs at a time. She can have as many as four. In the den, the cubs nurse and keep warm against their mother until spring.
Words to know
- hibernation: deep winter sleep
- bulbs: plant parts
- claws: paw nails
- den: a bear's home
