Grizzly Bear
Ursus arctos horribilis
Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) — The Silver-Tipped Forest Tank
Meet the Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos horribilis), North America's iconic brown bear with grizzled fur, massive strength, and a knack for digging up dinner anywhere it roams.
- Habitat
- Forests, meadows, tundra, coastlines
- Size
- 250–600+ lbs, 5–8 ft long
- Diet
- Omnivore: roots, berries, salmon, insects
- Range
- Alaska, western Canada, NW U.S.
- Conservation
- Threatened in contiguous U.S.
- Lifespan
- 20–30+ years in the wild
Habitat & range
Picture a bear that once wandered from the shores of Hudson Bay all the way down to Mexico and now calls the wild corners of Alaska, western Canada, and a few lucky pockets of the northwestern U.S. home. Grizzlies are the ultimate habitat generalists, happy in thick forests, breezy subalpine meadows, windswept tundra, or salmon-rich coastlines as long as there's food, cover, and a good den site. Their personal zip codes can stretch from 50 square miles for a lady bear to a whopping 600 for a big male, depending on how generous the berry patches are. Grizzly Bear appears as a Mammalia creature card in Wilder TCG, bringing that same wild range energy to the table.
Diet & foraging
These bears treat the menu like an all-you-can-eat buffet with zero rules. Roots, grasses, berries, nuts, insects, fish, and the occasional elk calf all make the cut, and those famous shoulder muscles and long claws turn them into champion diggers for ground squirrels and tasty tubers. Coastal bears go full salmon mode in fall, while inland cousins lean more plant-based but never turn down a protein snack. One particularly motivated grizzly was once clocked eating thousands of moths in a single day—nature's version of a high-protein energy bar.
Behavior & adaptations
Grizzlies are built for action: they can hit 35–40 mph in short sprints, swim like pros, and smell a snack from miles away thanks to a nose that puts most dogs to shame. Come winter they drop into a deep torpor for five to seven months, living off fat stores without eating, drinking, or making any bathroom trips. Moms give birth to tiny cubs (under a pound each) inside the den, and the whole family emerges in spring ready to feast. They're generally loners except when moms are corralling cubs or during the summer dating season.
Conservation
While the broader brown bear species gets a Least Concern nod globally, grizzlies in the lower 48 remain protected as threatened. Numbers have climbed from a low of around 700–800 in the 1970s to over 1,900 today, thanks to smart protections and habitat work in places like Yellowstone and Glacier. The biggest ongoing challenges are keeping roads and development from slicing up their turf and helping bears and people share space without drama. Give them room and secure your trash, and everyone stays happy.
Fun facts about Grizzly Bear
- A single grizzly can polish off 4,000+ army cutworm moths in one day—talk about a protein shake.
- Cubs climb trees to dodge trouble, but adults usually lose the skill as their digging claws grow longer.
- They aren't true hibernators—their body temperature barely drops, so they can wake up fast if needed.
- Females use delayed implantation so the embryo only develops once mom has enough fat stored for winter.
- Their digging boosts soil nutrients and plant diversity, turning bear renovations into habitat upgrades for everyone else.
Grizzly Bear vs Gray Wolf
Grizzly bear wins with size, strength, and thick hide against a lone wolf's speed and bite.
In shared northern forests, a grizzly might cross paths with a gray wolf while both hunt elk or salmon. The wolf relies on quick dashes and sharp teeth to nip at legs, but the bear's massive paws and powerful swipe keep it at bay. Thick fur and fat layers blunt any serious damage.
The bear stands its ground, using its bulk to intimidate and charge short distances. A single well-placed strike can end the threat, forcing the wolf to retreat into the trees. Habitat overlap favors the bear's solitary power over the wolf's usual pack tactics.
In the Field Journal
Mammalia · Forest · Cost 6
More Mammalia animals · Field Journal