Illustration from Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia/Corbis
Grizzly Bear
Ursus arctos horribilis
April 29, 1805, when the expedition killed first grizzly just below Big Muddy Creek (Martha's River of Lewis and Clark).
Brown, of various shades from tan to dark brown, often with white-tipped hairs, giving grizzled appearance. Claws of front feet can reach nearly 4 in (10 cm) long. Height: about 4.3 ft (130 cm); length: 5.9–7 ft (180–213 cm); tail: 3 in (7.6 cm). Weight: in contiguous U.S. usually 300–700 lb (135–317 kg).
Open areas in mountains, riversides and streamsides.
In the contiguous U.S., south into northwestern tier of states: Idaho, Montana, Wyoming; occasionally wander to Washington and Colorado.
The subspecies of the grizzly bear that lives in the contiguous U.S. is on the U.S. Endangered Species List.
"In the evening we saw a Brown or Grisley beare on a sand beech, I went out with one man Geo Drewyer & Killed the bear, which was verry large and a turrible looking animal, which we found verry hard to kill we Shot ten Balls into him before we killed him, & 5 of those Balls through his lights This animal is the largest of the carnivorous kind I ever saw we had nothing that could way him, I think his weight may be stated at 500 pounds [227 kilograms].... we had him skined and divided, the oile tried up & put in Kegs for use."
