Grizzly bears, sometimes called brown bears, range in colour from dark brown to blonde.  The white tipped hairs around their face and shoulders give them their grizzled appearance.  A grizzly can be distinguished from a black bear by the hump on its shoulders and its more pronounced brow ridge.  Adult male grizzly bears average 1.8 m from nose to tail and can weigh up to 250-300 kg.  Females are smaller and weigh between 95-170 kg.

Distribution

Historically, North American grizzly bears ranged from Hudson Bay to the West Coast and from the Arctic Ocean to California and Mexico. Grizzly bears were eliminated from the prairies following European settlement. Grizzlies now occur in northern Canada, through Alaska, the Rocky Mountains and in small pockets in Washington, Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. Grizzly bears occur through much of the NWT, particularly north of the treeline and throughout the Mackenzie Mountains.

NOTE: Click on map for full view. Distributions are approximate and not intended for legal use. (JPG = 2026 KB)

Population Size and Trends

There were probably more than 100,000 grizzly bears in North America prior to European settlement.  Since then, the population in the continental United States has dwindled to about 1,000 grizzly bears.  In Canada, the population has decreased to 20,000-25,000 grizzly bears that live in several distinct populations.  Currently, most grizzly bear populations in North America are thought to be stable.  The NWT is home to an estimated 3,500-4,000 grizzly bears.  The highest concentrations of grizzly bears in the NWT are found in the Mackenzie Mountains.

Grizzly bears in the NWT occur primarily in open alpine or tundra habitats, but they can also be found in forested areas.  They have large home ranges relative to most other bear species.  On average, a male’s range can extend over 2000 km² while a female’s range is about half that size.  Grizzly bears found on the central barrens seem to need even larger home ranges.  Research has shown that grizzly bears on the tundra use a home range of up to 6700 km² for males and 2100 km² for females.  Grizzlies require an adequate food supply, proper denning sites and protection from human disturbances.

It takes a long time before grizzly bears are old enough to reproduce.  Females have their first cubs between six to nine years of age with subsequent litters every three to four years.  Mating occurs in June/July.  Cubs are born in the den between mid-January and mid-March.  On average, two cubs are born in a litter.  Cubs stay with their mothers for two or three years. Females generally only produce four to five litters in their lifetime.  Males take no part in raising the cubs.  In fact, it is not uncommon for male grizzly bears to kill cubs.

Grizzly bears eat all kinds of food.  One study has suggested that plants (horsetails, berries, legume roots and grasses) make up about 90 per cent of the diet of grizzly bears in the Mackenzie Mountains.  In the central barrens, caribou, various berry species, grasses and sedges are important parts of the diet. Grizzly bears are not true hibernators since their body temperature does not fall much below normal during their winter sleep.  Grizzly bears generally den in holes they dig in the ground.  Natural rock caves can also be used.  Pregnant female bears are generally the first to enter dens around late September.  Some adult males may not den until the onset of winter.  Males are the first to emerge in spring.  Some females do not leave their dens until late May.

Biological limiting factors for NWT grizzly bears are thought to be adult female survival and low reproductive output.  Human activities can affect grizzly bear populations through harvesting, habitat degradation or both.  As mineral and energy exploration, outfitting camps and road developments increase in the NWT, contact between humans and bears is rising.  Unfortunately, contact sometimes results in bears being destroyed or displaced from important habitat.  Bears tend to avoid humans when possible.  This avoidance may cause the bears to abandon large sections of their home range if it is undergoing exploration or development.

COSEWIC designated all existing grizzly bear populations in Canada as Vulnerable in 1991 because of the potential for degradation and loss of grizzly bear habitat.  Two Canadian populations have been declared extirpated by COSEWIC.  In the NWT, it is illegal for non-Aboriginal people to harvest grizzly bears except in the Mackenzie Mountains and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region.  The Mackenzie Mountain harvest is open only to resident hunters, with a limit of one bear per hunter’s lifetime.  The Inuvialuit Settlement Region has a quota of 20 bears per year that is distributed to local Hunters’ and Trappers’ Associations.  It is illegal for anyone to kill denning bears or bears with cubs.

A co-management plan for 1998-2002 is being implemented for grizzly bears in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region.  Initiatives under this plan include raising public awareness of grizzly bears and their biology and gathering new information on the bears.  During the last five years, biologists have conducted extensive radio collar studies to learn more about the movements, feeding behaviour and den site requirements of grizzly bears on the central barrens.  Research will continue during the next five years with a mark and recapture study to provide a more accurate population estimate for the central barrens.  In the Inuvik Region, hunters are providing traditional knowledge about grizzly bears that will help direct future research.  All this information will help guide the development of effective co-management policies on the harvest and protection of grizzly bears in the NWT.

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       Site last updated Tuesday, November 04, 2008