The Brown Bear

Common Name: Brown bear Ours brun (Fr); Oso pardo (Sp)

Scientific Name: Ursus arctos

Habitat: Temperate Broadleaf Forests

Location: Europe, Asia, Northern America

Background

Few animals have captured the imagination like brown bears. They can stand on two legs, have eyes in the front of their heads, walk on the soles of their feet, pick things up with their 'fingers,' eat what we eat and nurse their young as we do.

§Habitat

§Major habitat type
Temperate Broadleaf Forests

Biogeographic realm
Nearctic, Palearctic

Range States
Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Belarus, Latvia, European Russia, Romania, Ukraine, Slovakia, Poland, Czech Republic, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Yugoslav Federation, Croatia, Slovenia, Greece, Macedonia, Albania, Austria, Italy, Bulgaria, Spain, France, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijhan, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, China, Mongolia, Central/eastern Russia, Japan, United States, Canada

Geographical Location
Europe, Asia, Northern America

§Why is this species important?

§Bears are considered of high priority in conservation. Given their dependence on large natural areas, they are important management indicators for a number of other wildlife species. Moreover, brown bears play important roles as predators (keeping populations in check) and as seed dispersers.