Bear Cub Hand Puppet

The Grizzly bear is a type of brown bear that was once plentiful in the western and northwestern United States. The animal is also known as the North American Brown Bear. The name “grizzly” comes from the light tips on the bear’s fur, which gives it a grizzled or silvery appearance.

The grizzly bear is an omnivore, meaning that it consumes plants and animals. Grizzly bears enjoy dining on berries, plants, small and large animals. Grizzlies love eating fish, and especially salmon found the rivers in the Northwestern United States, Alaska, and Canada.

Grizzly bears are known for avoiding humans. However, they can be dangerous when threatened. When there is a threat to a grizzly bear or its cubs, the animal will become violent and fight for protection. The grizzly bear’s muscular build, heavy body, sharp claws, and ability to run makes it an animal to be feared and respected.

There are an estimated 1,500 grizzlies in the lower 48 states, down from 50,000 in the early 1800s. Alaska has about 30,000 Grizzlies, and Canada is home to 26,000. A light-colored grizzly called the prizzly-bear also lives in Alaska. This grizzly-polar bear hybrid is a cross between a polar bear and a grizzly bear.

In 1975, when they'd been wiped out almost entirely, grizzlies in the lower 48 were placed on the endangered species list. Today they remain in only about 6 percent of their original range.

Fun Facts for Kids:

• Grizzly bears are native to North America and distinguished by the silvery tip and shiny appearance of their fur.
• Contrary to popular belief, grizzly bears do not go into true hibernation. They enter is called torpor, a mild form of hibernation.
• The hybrid of the grizzly and polar bear is called ‘pizzly’ bear.
• About 1,500 Grizzly bears live in the Lower 48 states.
• Grizzly bears are a threatened species in the United States.
• The California grizzly bear is extinct.
• The grizzly-polar bear hybrid is named the ‘pizzly bear.’ In altercations that pit polar bears vs. grizzly bears, in most cases the grizzly bear has reigned supreme.