European Brown Bear (Eurasian Brown Bear)
The European brown bear is a sub-species of the brown bear and is thought to be the most common sub-species. It’s scientific name Ursus arctos arctos tells us that it is definitely a sub-species of the brown bear, who’s scientific name is Ursus arctos. It is also commonly known as the Eurasian brown bear as it can be found in northern Asia as well as Europe.
The bear was first called the European brown bear, but when members of the same species were also found in places in Asia the bear was re-named the Eurasian brown bear. Indeed i have also heard it referred to as the Asian brown bear.
The Eurasian brown bear can typically be found throughout Eurasia; strangely the bears of this sub-species in Asia appear to be more aggressive than the European bears, yet they share the same genetic make-up.
In appearance these bears have brown fur that can range from a yellow-brown to a reddish-brown. In some cases black and albino forms of the European brown bear have been recorded. Like most brown bears, this bear has very powerful muscles and bone structure, with the big shoulders giving it the power to dig and run fast.
A fully grown male Eurasian or European bear weighs around 300kg, whereas females are smaller and only weigh about 200kg.
European brown bears could once be found in the British Isles, in about 500AD, but have since become extinct there due to excessive poaching and hunting. The 2006 status for the Eurasian brown bear from the IUCN is ‘least concern’.
The diet of this bear is very interesting as it has changed over time. European brown bears were mainly carnivorous, with about 80% of their diet being meat or fish, but changed to about 40% in the middle ages due to habitat change. Now days it is estimated that the European brown bear only has a 10-15% meat intake. This shows that this bear species is very good at adapting and is possibly less likely o become extinct than other bear species in a changing environment.
May 31, 2010
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Maddia (Admin) · 
5 Comments
Tags: Animals, Bears, brown bears, Eurasian brown bear, European brown bear, wild animals · Posted in: Brown Bear Species
5 Responses
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