Brown bear
- Class: Mammals (Mammalia)
- Order: Carnivores (Carnivora)
- Family: Bears (Ursidae)
- Genus: Ursus
- Species: Ursus arctos
- SubGenus: U. a. arctos
Size
Fully-grown brown bear males weigh 150 to 300 kg, females 100 to 200 kg. Bear average sizes are found to vary proportionately with locations of their distribution, the smallest adults inhabiting southernmost and westernmost ares of Sweden.
Ecology
Brown bears occur in a wide range of habitats, but in Scandinavia most bears are found in the coniferous forests of the central and northern regions. In the past they were also found in the deciduous forests of southern Sweden.
Brown Bears are predominantly solitary animals, the exception of which being females with cubs. The bears hibernate during winter, and for this purpose they dig their own den and construct bedding out of dry vegetation. The den is usually located under a boulder, a fallen tree or tree stump. Weather and the amount of daylight decides the onset of hibernation. Northern bears are known to hibernate for a longer period of time than southern bears.
Food habits
Brown bears are omnivorous, eating nutritious fruit, nuts, berries, bulbs, small mammals and even carrion. Their diet varies with seasonal availability of different sources of food. During autumn the bear feeds almost continuously to establish fat deposits to utilise in the approaching winter hibernation.
Longevity
The brown bear lives for 20 to 25 years in the wild. In zoos they may reach a considerably older age.
Reproduction
Brown bears have the lowest reproduction rate of all mammals in Sweden. Females reach sexual maturity at age 4, but it is usually at the age of 6 that their first cubs are born. Following a gestation period of 6 to 8 weeks, she gives birth to 2, 3 or 4 cubs in the den, in the middle of winter.
Conservation status
Brown bear numbers are not high in Sweden, but in a global context the species is not endangered.
Swedish Red List Threat Category:
Vulnerable.
