In North America, there are three different species or varieties of bears. The American black bear is the most prevalent (Ursus americanus). Despite their unfortunate reputation, black bears can also be many tones of white, brown, and black. Except for Prince Edward Island, every province and territory in Canada, as well as 40 out of the 50 US states, have populations of this species. Throughout N.A., there are about 900,000 black bears. The U.S. Endangered Species Act protects some subspecies as “threatened,” like the Louisiana black bear, but not the majority of them.
In addition to the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, the Yukon, and the Northwest Territories, the grizzly or brown bear (Ursus arctos) can also be found in the US states of Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Washington. The smaller inland variety of this species is frequently referred to as the “grizzly” bear due to its “grizzled” appearance, but the coastal varieties of this species are sometimes referred to as brown or Kodiak bears. All are members of the same species, but some biologists contend that because Kodiak Island’s brown bears have lived in isolation for so long, they should be regarded as a distinct subspecies (Ursus arctos middendorffi).
The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) retains more of its original habitat than any other existing big carnivore due to the lack of human development in its isolated Arctic habitat. The northern regions of Canada, Alaska, Russia, Norway, and Greenland are home to over 25,000 polar bears. There are 22,000–25,000 polar bears in the world, and their population is thought to be largely steady. The polar bear was changed from a “least concern” species to a “vulnerable” species by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) in 2006. [Polar Bears on the Edge by Morten Joergensen] The major danger to polar bears is hunting in Canada.
This website focuses on the black bear and the grizzly (or brown) bear, which are the two species you are most likely to encounter. Although both species exhibit many of the same behavioral traits, there are also some significant distinctions that will have an impact on how each species responds to people in various contexts. To avoid and manage potential conflicts between humans and bears, it is crucial to comprehend the distinctive behaviors of each species.
