The grizzly bear (Ursus arctos), a member of the family Ursidae, is the most widely distributed of all bear species. Although reduced from prehistoric times, its range today extends from Scandinavia to eastern Siberia, Syria to the Himalayan Mountains, and, in North America, from Alaska and northwest Canada into the northwestern portion of the lower 48 states. Even though the Russian, Alaskan, and Canadian populations remain fairly large, the grizzly bear population in the northwestern continental United States represents only about 1% of its former size of less than 200 years ago. Grizzly bears occupy a variety of habitats, but in North America they seem to prefer open areas including tundra, meadows, and coastlines. Before the arrival of Europeans on the continent, grizzlies were common on the Great Plains. Now they are found primarily in wilderness forests with open areas of moist meadows or grasslands.

Female grizzly bears vary...