Now all the brown bears of the world are considered one species-Ursus arctos. This includes coastal brown bears, grizzly bears, Kodiak bears, and the various Asian and European subspecies. > What is the difference between a brown bear and a grizzly bear? They both resemble in size and strength. On the #BearCam in Katmai National Park, you can catch a sneak peek of the brown bears beginning their summer of salmon fishing and foraging. Fact sheet Brown bear; Brief fact sheet European Brown Bear (Ursus arctos) Distribution. The term “grizzly” comes from their fur’s color, with gray typically on their shoulders and hump. There was a time in when bears lived everywhere where there was forest and that was practically the whole of Europe. Due to a few morphological differences, Kodiak bears are also considered to be a distinct subspecies of brown bear (U. a. middendorfii), but are very similar to Katmai’s brown bears in diet and habits. To enlarge the map please click on it. Further, taxonomy of these bears is undergoing constant change. Grizzly and brown bears are actually the same species, the distinction between the two being geographic rather than genetic. Although North American brown, grizzly, and Kodiak bears belong to the same species, Ursus arctos, bear taxonomy underwent many revisions before scientists reached this conclusion.In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, taxonomists frequently lumped and split brown/grizzly bears into many different species and subspecies. Grizzly bears and brown bears are the same species (Ursus arctos), but grizzly bears are currently considered to be a separate subspecies (U. a. horribilis). The same as the difference between, say, a wolf and a timber wolf. The great bears of the Alaskan coastal region are called brown bears; inland they become grizzly bears. Because of the difficulty in finding an abundance of food, grizzly bears tend to be smaller and more aggressive than brown bears. How to Survive a Bear Attack: Brown Bears, Black Bears, Polar Bears, Oh My By Bryan Holt February 6, 2019 Bear attacks are not necessarily a ubiquitous occurrence in the wild, but they do happen. Brown bears (Ursus horribilus), called grizzlies in the United States, are now more numerous in Europe than in the contiguous United States. The brown/grizzly bears of North America were once separated into 58 species. Polar bear is the largest whereas brown bear is the second largest terrestrial mammal living today. “Grizzly” is not in reference to “grisly” or horrific! Grizzly bears and polar bears are super powerful. The average female grizzly bear weighs about 400 pounds and the average male about 700 pounds. P olar bear (Ursus maritimus) and grizzly bear (Ursos arctos) are not only the largest terrestrial carnivorans, they are close cousins too. With the clearing of the woods the animals were forced to retreat into more and more remote regions. European brown bears are back in the UK as the animals settle into their ancient woodland home alongside wolves, lynx and wolverine. If you’ve ever wondered about the differences between brown and grizzly bears, let Ranger Michael Fitz explain: All grizzly bears are brown bears, but not all brown bears are grizzly bears.