Eurasian brown bear
| Eurasian brown bear | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Ursidae |
| Genus: | Ursus |
| Species: | U. arctos |
| Subspecies: | U. arctos arctos |
| Trinomial name | |
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Ursus arctos arctos Linnaeus, 1758 |
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The Eurasian brown bear (Ursus arctos arctos) is one of the most common subspecies of the brown bear, found across Eurasia. The Eurasian brown bear is also known as the common brown bear, European brown bear, European bear and colloquially by many other names. "The genetic diversity of present-day brown bears (Ursus arctos) has been extensively studied over the years and appears to be geographically structured into five main clades based upon analysis of the mtDNA."
The Eurasian brown bear has brown fur, which can range from yellow-brownish to dark brown, red brown, and almost black in some cases; albinism has also been recorded. The fur is dense to varying degree and the hair can grow up to 10 cm in length. The shape of the head is normally quite round with relatively small round ears, a wide skull and a mouth equipped with 42 teeth, including predatory teeth. It has a powerful bone structure and large paws equipped with claws that can grow up to 10 cm in length. The weight varies depending on habitat and time of the year. A full grown male weighs on average 250 and 300 kilograms (550 and 660 lb). And reaches a weight of 481 kg (1,058 lb) and was nearly 2.5 m (8.2 ft) long. Females typically range between 150–250 kg (330–550 lb).
Brown bears were present in Britain until no later than 1000 AD, when they were exterminated through over hunting.
Eurasian brown bears were used in Ancient Rome for fighting in arenas. The strongest bears apparently came from Caledonia and Dalmatia.
In antiquity, the Eurasian brown bear was largely carnivorous, with 80% of its diet consisting of animal matter. However, as its habitat increasingly disappeared, meat consisted of only 40% of its dietary intake in the late Middle Ages, until modern times where meat now makes up little more than 10–15% of its diet. Whenever possible the brown bear will consume sheep.
Unlike in North America, where an average of two people a year are killed by bears, Scandinavia only has records of three fatal bear attacks in the last century.
The oldest fossils are from the Choukoutien, China, about 500,000 years ago. It is known from mtDNA studies that during the ice age it was too cold for the brown bear to survive in Europe with the exception of three places—Russia, Spain, and in the Balkans.
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Wikipedia