Bear Necessities

Brown bears live in a number of different habitats including mixed broadleafed and coniferous forests, and treeless tundras. Though they are the largest carnivores of the northern forests, most of their prey is small: insects, fish, rodents and birds. It will also eat deer and bison and its good sense of smell allows it to locate carrion.

But the brown bear is not strictly a meat-eater. It eats whatever food it finds and lives mainly on plants, young leaves, berries, and nuts. It also uses its strong claws to dig up tubers and roots. For bears on the west coast of Canada and Alaska, salmon is an important food source.

Brown bears' feeding habits change with the seasons. In spring they feed on birds' eggs and dig out the burrows of lemmings and ground squirrels. In autumn, they feed on large quantities of fruits, berries and nuts which helps them put on enough fat to last them through the long, lean winter months.

Bears are tireless wanderers and sometimes have a home range of more than 200 sq km. They travel long distances in search of food. A male brown bear protects his home range against other males. Females also have territories which they share with other females, but their territories are smaller than male territories.