Brown bear
Scientific name: Ursus arctos Linnaeus, 1758
Overview
The brown bear is a large bear native to Eurasia and North America. Of the land carnivorans, it is rivaled in size only by its closest relative, the polar bear, which is much less variable in size and slightly bigger on average. The brown bear is a sexually dimorphic species, as adult males are larger and more compactly built than females. The fur ranges in color from cream to reddish to dark brown. It has evolved large hump muscles, unique among bears, and paws up to 21 cm (8.3 in) wide and 36 cm (14 in) long, to effectively dig through dirt. Its teeth are similar to those of other bears and reflect its dietary plasticity.
From the Wikipedia article “Brown bear”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Conservation status
Least concern on the IUCN Red List, as recorded on Wikidata, citing The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022.2.
Size and lifespan
| Measurement | Value |
|---|---|
| Birth weight | 500 kg |
Source: Wikidata, citing “Ursus arctos”, scientific article published on 23 April 1993.
Where it lives
The Catalogue of Life records it in: Europe & Northern Asia (excluding China); North America; Southern Asia.
Common names
Also known in English as Grizzly Bear.
Names in other languages (14)
- Arabic
- دب بني
- Bengali
- বাদামি ভাল্লুক
- Chinese
- 棕熊
- French
- Ours brun
- German
- Braunbär
- Hindi
- भूरा भालू
- Indonesian
- beruang cokelat
- Japanese
- ヒグマ
- Persian
- خرس قهوهای
- Portuguese
- Urso-pardo
- Russian
- бурый медведь
- Spanish
- Oso pardo
- Turkish
- Boz ayı
- Urdu
- بھورا ریچھ
Related animals
Sources
-
Catalogue of Life — scientific name, classification, common names and range.
Version 2026-09-11, CC BY 4.0.
This species in the Catalogue of Life.
Citation
Bánki, O., Roskov, Y., Döring, M., Ower, G., Hernández Robles, D. R., Plata Corredor, C. A., Stjernegaard Jeppesen, T., Örn, A., Pape, T., Hobern, D., Garnett, S., Little, H., DeWalt, R. E., Miller, J., Orrell, T., Aalbu, R., Abbott, J., Aedo, C., Aescht, E., et al. (2026). Catalogue of Life (Version 2026-09-11). Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgz5n Source database: The Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
- GBIF — species page and recorded occurrences.
- Wikidata — conservation status, measurements, names in other languages. Q36341, CC0 1.0.
- Wikipedia — overview, from the article “Brown bear”, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photo — Robert F. Tobler, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
- Range map — User:Hannu & IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature); see above, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
Last updated: 4 October 2026