The grizzly bear, a North American subspecies of the brown bear, is not extinct, though its history in the contiguous United States is a story of near total disappearance. These powerful mammals once roamed vast territories across western North America, but their numbers plummeted dramatically with the arrival of European settlers. While the species survives globally, particularly in Canada and Alaska, its former range in the lower 48 states was drastically reduced. The modern status of the grizzly is a testament to decades of complex conservation efforts aimed at recovering populations from isolated pockets in the Rocky Mountains.
Current Conservation Status and Historical Decline
Historically, an estimated 50,000 grizzly bears ranged across much of the western United States, from the Pacific coast to the Great Plains. Westward expansion, government-funded bounty programs, overhunting, and habitat conversion led to a sharp decline throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. By the 1970s, the grizzly occupied only about two percent of its original range, with the population reduced to between 700 and 800 individuals.
This decline led to the species being listed as “Threatened” in the contiguous United States under the Endangered Species Act in 1975. This historical event is often referred to as extirpation, or local extinction, rather than extinction, which is the global disappearance of a species. Recovery efforts have focused on re-establishing viable populations in designated wilderness areas, but the species remains under federal protection. The recovery has been contentious, with ongoing legal challenges and debates over delisting specific populations that have met recovery goals.
Where Grizzly Bear Populations Exist Today
Globally, most North American grizzlies thrive in Alaska and Canada, where an estimated 55,000 bears reside across expansive wilderness areas. In the contiguous United States, all viable populations are concentrated in the Northern Rocky Mountains across four states. The two largest and most recovered populations are found in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) and the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE).
The GYE, encompassing parts of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, supports a population estimated at 965 individuals as of 2022, a significant increase since their 1975 listing. The NCDE, which includes Glacier National Park and surrounding wilderness in Montana, holds a robust number, with an estimated 765 bears recorded in 2004. Other smaller populations exist in the Cabinet-Yaak and Selkirk ecosystems, bringing the overall population in the lower 48 states to approximately 1,926 bears.
Essential Biological Facts and Behavior
Grizzly bears are distinguished by several physical characteristics. Most notably, the prominent muscular hump between their shoulders provides the power for digging. Their facial profile is concave or “dished” from the eyes to the nose, and they possess long, gently curved claws measuring 2 to 4 inches, which are also adapted for excavating roots and dens. Coastal bears, with access to protein-rich salmon, tend to be significantly larger than their inland counterparts in the Rocky Mountains.
As opportunistic omnivores, the grizzly diet shifts seasonally to maximize available resources. Spring feeding focuses on emerging vegetation and carrion, while summer includes berries, insects, and roots. In the fall, bears enter a period called hyperphagia, consuming up to 20,000 calories a day to gain substantial fat reserves for winter. This fat is essential for sustaining them through five to seven months of hibernation, during which they do not eat, drink, urinate, or defecate. Females generally live longer than males, averaging 26 years compared to 22, because males engage in dangerous seasonal breeding fights.
Living Alongside Grizzly Bears: Safety and Management
As grizzly populations expand, human-bear conflicts increase, necessitating active management and public education to ensure co-existence. Conflict mitigation efforts focus on securing all potential food sources, often referred to as attractants, near human settlements. This includes using bear-resistant containers for garbage and installing electric fencing around livestock pens, apiaries, and fruit trees.
For people recreating in bear country, safety is centered on avoidance and preparedness. Hikers and campers are advised to make noise to avoid surprising a bear and to carry bear spray in an easily accessible location. Bear spray, a deterrent containing capsaicin, is highly effective at temporarily disabling an aggressive bear when deployed correctly. Management agencies also employ non-lethal methods, such as translocating bears that repeatedly get into conflicts, to maintain public safety while preserving the recovering populations.