Plains Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos horribilis)
Status: Extirpated

Description: Grizzly Bears are larger than black bears. After the Polar Bear, they are the second largest terrestrial animal in North America. Grizzlies have been known to weigh as much as 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds) but the average male weighs 250 to 350 kilograms (550 to 770 pounds). Females weigh about half as much on average. Grizzly Bears have a distinguishing hump on their shoulders formed by the muscles of their massive forelegs. The fur of the Grizzly Bear ranges in colour from ivory-yellow to black. They usually have lighter fur on their face and shoulders due to white-tipped hairs. Their body is darker in colour and their feet and legs are even darker. Distinguishing features for the Grizzly Bear include a dished or concave face and extremely long claws.

Black Bears differ from Grizzly Bears in a number of ways. Black Bears are usually smaller than Grizzlies. They weigh between 120 and 280 kilograms (260 to 620 pounds). Black Bears have a straight facial profile with a tapered nose and long nostrils. Their primary colour is black with a brownish muzzle. Shades of brown, cinnamon, blonde and white may also be common. Black Bears do not have a large shoulder hump and have much shorter claws than the Grizzly Bear.

Status: The Plains Grizzly was probably extirpated from the Prairie Ecozone by the late 1890s or early 1900s. The last known Grizzly in this region was shot in 1883 in Cypress Hills. However, there are reports that Grizzly Bears may have persisted in the Pasquia Hills in Saskatchewan into the 1930s. The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) officially listed the Plains Grizzly as extirpated in 1991.

Grizzly Bears once extended across the Great Plains of North America. Evidence exists that Grizzlies even existed east of the Mississippi River in areas such as Ohio, Kentucky and southern Ontario. Grizzlies were probably never abundant east of the Mississippi or on the plains themselves. They were probably most common around major rivers on the Great Plains.

In Saskatchewan, Grizzly Bear sightings were reported east of the South Saskatchewan River in the Birch Hills and west of the Sandy Hills. They were also reported along the Baptiste and North Saskatchewan rivers. In earlier times, people mainly traveled by boats and canoes, therefore their numbers may have been exaggerated.

The extirpation of the Plains Grizzly Bear was mainly caused by human development and over hunting. Agriculture and increased settlement greatly reduced the amount of available habitat for the Plains Grizzly. As the prairies became settled, grizzlies were heavily hunted. Early settlers perceived the bear as a threat to both themselves and their cattle.

Plains Grizzlies were known to feed on the carcasses of dead bison. As the Plains Bison (Bison bison) was over hunted, the grizzly lost a valuable food source. Over hunting of both Grizzlies and the Plains Bison in the mid 1800s caused the Grizzly population to decline.

Range Map (Historic and Current Ranges of the Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) (adapted from Ministry of Natural Resources, Ontario, 1987.)

Habitat: Grizzly Bears require an abundance and variety of food. Grizzlies are only active for five to seven months of the year. The rest of the year (during winter) they remain in their dens. Therefore, grizzlies must eat enough food while they’re active in order for them to survive the winter. As a result, Grizzly Bears have large home ranges to obtain the necessary amount and types of food they need.

Grizzly Bears are omnivorous eaters, meaning they eat both plants and animals. Their diet consists of between 80 and 90 per cent plant material with the rest made up of various meats. The Plains Grizzly is believed to have fed on a variety of plants, Plains Bison, insects, small mammals and fish.

Areas around major water bodies on the Great Plains probably provided the most suitable habitat for the Plains Grizzly. Streams and river bottoms, seepage sites and lakes contain high plant diversity, high plant productivity and vegetation high in proteins. These wetland areas would produce both the quantity and assortment of food that these bears require.

Limiting Factors: As settlers moved into the Great Plains, Grizzly habitat became smaller. The inability of humans and large predators to co-exist led to over hunting and ultimately the extirpation of the Plains Grizzly.

Summary: There is no recovery plan for the Plains Grizzly. Grizzlies require large home ranges and such large blocks of suitable habitat no longer exist on the prairies.

Canadian Grizzlies are still found in British Columbia, the Yukon, western Alberta and the Northwest Territories. Currently, Grizzly management is focused on the conservation of the species within its present range.