Brown Bear - Middle School Steppes Wildlife

Brown Bear
By Tanya Dewey
Animal Diversity Web
University of Michigan
Museum of Zoology

Geographic Range
Ursus arctos once ranged throughout northern and central Europe, Asia, the Atlas mountains of Morocco and Algeria, and western North America as far south as Mexico. They are now found in extremely small numbers from western Europe and Palestine to eastern Siberia and the Himalayan region, possibly the Atlas Mountains of northwest Africa, and Hokkaido. Northern North American populations in Alaska and western Canada remain fairly stable. Many populations in the United States have been extirpated, including those of the Sierra Nevada and southern Rockies. Northern Mexican populations were extirpated in the 1960's. (Wilson and Ruff, 1999)

Habitat
Brown bears occupy a variety of habitats, from desert edges to high mountain forests and ice fields. In North America they seem to prefer open areas such as tundra, alpine meadows, and coastlines. Historically, they were common on the Great Plains prior to the arrival of European settlers. In Siberia, Ursus arctos occurs primarily in forests, while European populations are restricted mainly to mountain woodlands. The main habitat requirement for Ursus arctos is some area with dense cover in which it can shelter by day. (Wilson and Ruff, 1999)

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