Once, they roamed over most of the western United States, Alaska, Canada and southern Mexico. Today, the grizzly is found only in parts of Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Washington, Alaska, and Canada.

The Grizzly is bear that can weigh up to 1,800 pounds, but most weigh in around 1,000 lbs. In the lower 48 states, they may only weigh up to 600 pounds as adults. This animal has the ability to stand on its hind legs and reach heights up to ten feet. A large hump of muscle and fat over the bear's shoulders quickly identifies this sub-species as a grizzly. Its shaggy fur comes in many colors--black, cinnamon, red, blond, or a mixture of these colors. But the bear gets its name from the light-tipped guard hairs that give them a "grizzled" look.













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Being an omnivore, a grizzly bear will eat anything--insects, wild honey, grasses, sedges, roots, mountain sorrel, buffalo berries, fish, moose, elk, deer, sheep, and sometimes other bears!

The breeding season usually occurs in June and July, when the bears reach maturity around five years of age. The male chooses his mate and spends about a month with her, then leaves to continue his solitary life. The female then finds or digs her den, where she will sleep through the winter. She'll give birth to her cubs in January, February or March. (Gestation takes four or five months). Average litter size is two, but four is not uncommon. Weighing less than a pound, a newborn cub gains weight quickly from the rich mother's milk containing 33 percent fat. As they grow up, the cubs may increase their weight as much as 1,000 times. A deep bond unites a mother with her cubs, and she fiercely protects them from adult males and other predators, until they are two years old.