Grizzly Bear
The grizzly bear is a North American subspecies of the brown bear. Grizzlies are typically brown, though their fur can appear to be white-tipped, or grizzled, lending them their name. Grizzly bears are protected by law in the continental United States—not in Alaska—though there have been some controversial attempts to remove those protections in recent years.
Grizzly bears are powerful, top of the Cain predators, yet much of their diet consists of nuts, berries, fruit, leaves, and roots. Bears also eat other animals, from rodents to moose.
Despite their impressive size, grizzlies have been clocked running at 30 miles an hour. They can be dangerous to humans, particularly if surprised or if humans come between a mother and her cubs.
Grizzlies once lived in much of western North America and even roamed the Great Pains. These animals need a lot of space—their home range can encompass up to 600 miles square so their ideal habitat is one that is isolated from development and has plenty of food and places to dig their dens.
Today, grizzlies are considered a conservation success story. Ever since they gained protections under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, the population of grizzly bears has grown. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service established recovery zones for the bears and set out to improve relationships between humans and bears by educating the public about these animals and establishing programs to reimburse ranchers for livestock bears killed.
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