Bears III Brown Bear

O LORD, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your creatures.  Psalm 104:24 NLT

You may have heard the names brown bear and grizzly bear used interchangeably. In fact, they both belong to the same genus and species – Ursus arctos.

The main difference between these bears is that of location. Brown bears, like the one pictured above, are mostly located in coastal areas while grizzlies are found inland. I took a picture of a grizzly in Yellowstone National Park a while back, and if I can find it, I will post it in this section of my blog.

The principal diet of brown bears is fish, which are high in fat and protein. Sometimes these bears are able to locate areas where fish are concentrated, such as when salmon are spawning. There they can find an abundance of nutrient-rich food without expending a lot of energy. For this reason, brown bears tend to be larger than grizzly bears. An adult male brown bear can weigh more than 1,500 lbs., while the same age grizzly may weigh only 1,100 lbs.

I’ve read that a male black bear may weigh in excess of 600 lbs., although that would be rare in my part of the world (see Bears I). Regardless, a very long-reaching telephoto lens to allow for plenty of space between you and the animal is preferable when trying to photograph any species of bear.

Since grizzlies are found inland, their food is more toward the vegetarian end of the spectrum, although both the brown and grizzly are omnivores (eaters of plants and animals). In general, the grizzly bear has to work harder and use more energy finding its food than does the brown, so they tend to be smaller. But as you can see by their weights, both are formidable. Bears can be unpredictable as well, so if you happen to see one whilst hiking, you’d be wise to use caution. These bears can run as fast as 35 miles per hour, while most men top out at around 20 mph.

There are eight species of bears in the world. The number of all the animal species varies from millions to billions, depending on which article you happen to read. Since I haven’t counted them lately, I can honestly say I don’t have a clue as to the total number. But as the above Scripture points out, God made all this variety in His wisdom. And this is even more amazing to me: that the God of the universe Who created it all actually desires a personal relationship with us. If you’re not sure how to have that relationship, please see Got God?

Hope you have a great day.