Is the Grizzly Endangered?

Grizzly bears are a subspecies of brown bear. They are often mistaken for black bears. Grizzly bears are mostly solitary animals, hibernating anywhere from five to eight months out of the year. Brown bears have the widest range of habitat of all bears but that habitat has been significantly reduced and continues to dwindle.

  1. Loss of Habitat

    • Grizzly bears are adaptable and can live in a range of habitats from dense forests to arctic tundra. At one time, approximately 50,000 grizzly bears roamed North America. Slightly more than 1,000 are now found in the lower 48 states. Grizzly bears are threatened by a loss of habitat due to human encroachment, development and logging.

    Listed as Threatened

    • According to Defenders.org, in 1975 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the grizzly bear as threatened in the lower 48 states.

    Yellowstone Grizzlies

    • In 2007, the Yellowstone population of grizzly bears was removed from threatened status and declared recovered.

    Endangered Subspecies

    • There are three subspecies of brown bear that are listed as endangered. These subspecies are the European brown bear, the Tibetan blue bear and the Mexican grizzly bear.

    Current Status

    • Grizzly bears are currently listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

    Status outside of the U.S.

    • According to Zoo.org, grizzly bears are listed as endangered in the countries of Mongolia, China and Bhutan.