AnimalsThe brown bear is found across the northern half of the world. The grizzly bear of North America is one kind of brown bear. They eat roots, berries, insects, fish and meat, and sleep through the winter in a den after fattening up in autumn.
Quick facts
- Scientific name
- Ursus arctos
- Group
- Mammals
- Diet
- Omnivore (eats plants and animals)
- Lives in
- North America, Europe and Asia
- Habitat
- Forests, mountains and tundra
- A young one is called
- cub
- A group is called
- sloth or sleuth
- Conservation status
- Least Concern
How it is classified
Scientists sort living things into groups within groups. Reading down, each step is a smaller group, ending with the species itself.
- Kingdom Animalia
- Phylum Chordata
- Class Mammalia
- Order Carnivora
- Family Ursidae
- Genus Ursus
- Species Ursus arctos
Other members of the family Ursidae on this site: giant panda, polar bear, sloth bear.
More distant relatives in the order Carnivora: cheetah, dog, domestic cat, jaguar, leopard, lion, red fox, red panda, snow leopard, spotted hyena, tiger, walrus.
Classification follows the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Other reference works arrange some groups differently. How classification works.
Is it in danger?
The brown bear is listed as Least Concern. The species is widespread or numerous enough that it is not considered at risk of extinction at present.
This is the IUCN Red List category as recorded in Wikidata on 11 November 2026. The IUCN Red List itself is the authority and may carry a newer assessment. What the categories mean.