Saw my first grizzlies this summer in Glacier NP. They are pretty awesome to watch.

BoBo I went online and every website said that the Grizzly bear is a Subspecies of the Brown bear, a few also say the Kodiak is another Subspecies. Two sites say there is between 6-8 Subspecies of Brown bear in N. America.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subspecies_of_brown_bear Wiki shows there are eight Sub species of N. American Brown bears and talks about the size variance of size with the Grizzly based on where it lives.

(Ursus arctos middendorffi – Kodiak bear) This is the largest distinct subspecies of the brown bear, though the coastal-living members of other brown bear subspecies potentially rival it in size. It is medium-hued, typically not as dark as most forms from eastern Asia, but distinctly darker than grizzly bears.

(Ursus arctos horribilis – Grizzly bear or North American brown bear) A little confusing but states it is one of 8 Subspecies in N. America
Most of Alaska, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, British Columbia, western Alberta, northern Idaho, western Montana, and northwestern Wyoming.

https://www.nps.gov/katm/learn/photosmultimedia/brown-bear-frequently-asked-

2. What is the difference between brown bears and grizzly bears?
All grizzly bears are brown bears, but not all brown bears are grizzly bears. The bears you are watching on the cams are brown bears. Grizzly bears and brown bears are the same species (Ursus arctos), but grizzly bears are currently considered to be a separate subspecies (U. a. horribilis). Due to a few morphological differences, Kodiak bears are also considered to be a distinct subspecies of brown bear (U. a. middendorfii), but are very similar to Katmai’s brown bears in diet and habits.

https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/animals/mammal/urarh/all.html

TAXONOMY :
The currently accepted scientific name for grizzly bear is Ursus arctos
horribilis. It is 1 of 6 subspecies of brown bear (Ursus arctos). Other
North American subspecies of brown bear include [6]:

https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Mammals/Grizzly-Bear

In North America there are two subspecies of brown bear (Ursus arctos): the Kodiak bear, which occurs only on the islands of the Kodiak Archipelago, and the grizzly bear, which occurs everywhere else. Brown bears also occur in Russia, Europe, Scandinavia, and Asia.

Yelp pretty close to what I remember, ABC/kodiak archipelago is a sub and has some Polar Bear DNA. Rest of Alaska is divided by 141 degree meridian, one side they are grizzly other side coastal brown bears. Only difference is diet of coastal brown is significantly higher caloric value, if you want a record size grizzly you go to the 141 median and record coastal you go opposite direction

As a rule, coastal bears will be the biggest due to the availability of food, primarily salmon. It can be the ABC islands in SE Alaska, it can be on Kodiak, it can be in Bristol Bay, and they also tend to get some huge bears out in the Nome area. Once you start hunting inland, they get smaller.

For some fun, check out the fat bear contest they have at Katmai. Some fat pigs there and you get to see before and after pictures of how they pack on the pounds when into the salmon. They are so concentrated on the best calories towards the end, that they will take a salmon, eat just the guts (for the eggs or milt), peel and eat the skin off for the fat along the outside, and eat the top of the head for the brain, and then toss the rest into the water. Fat Bear 2020

-TJ

Great post thanks for sharing.....

I've also heard that because Coastal Brown bears are so well fed, they tend to have a pretty even temperament. I have a good buddy that was originally from Kodiak Island ( and is moving back in April north of Anchorage) that said they were very common to see while fishing but did not give people too many problems other than having to drop your stringer on occasion to sacrifice to the bear.

Interior Grizzlies are often in various stages of starvation and that's why they are so irritable and dangerous, from what i've read and been told.

I agree with you. I think a grizzly would give up and find an easier meal unless he was starving. But if a lone gorilla decided to pursue a grizzly, gorilla would get killed.

It all depends on the situation and the bear. When they are heavy into the salmon, most of them will pretty much ignore you if you leave them alone. Same goes for a dump bear for that matter. The exception is the 2-4 year olds that have been kicked from mom. Like all teenagers, they are finding their way in life and tend to push things no matter what. Early in the season before the salmon are running, or late in the year after the salmon are done, the browns on Kodiak or the ABC islands can be just as mean. Shoot a deer, and it is like a dinner bell for them. Many a guy mauled over a deer.

The interior bears don't seem to be much different. Most will keep their distance, but when food is involved and they are starving or haven't had a good berry year, and they can be aggressive too. Seems to be either very young bears that just haven't done very well now on their own, or a very old bear that is having a hard go of it and on its last legs. There are always a few that seem to be the latter than don't den up like the rest and end up getting shot each year.

Where our moose camp is in the interior, we have never had a bear come into camp and many times we will see them on a game camera over a gut pile at night, but never during the day. Very skittish. However, when we leave, they show up to our camp at some point. There are three trees there that they have pretty well marked up and rubbed all over as a sign of territory marking.

-TJ