Overview
Ranging from Europe to Central Russia, where it inhabits boreal and temperate forests, grasslands, and wetlands, the Eurasian brown bear (or Ursus arctos arctos) is a subspecies of the brown bear. Eurasian brown bears have thick, brown fur, a large shoulder hump, a rounded head and small, rounded ears. They have strong front legs with long claws used for digging and hunting. Brown bears can grow extremely large, but there is a lot of variation in size between different populations. An average male bear weighs 350kg to 500kg and will be 2.2m long, while an average female bear weighs 150kg to 300kg and will be 1.8m long.
Appearance
Male
Female
Juvenile
Colourmorphs
Leucistic male
Leucistic female
Leucistic juvenileSize & weight
Size
Nose to rump: 1.8 to 2.1 m
Juvenile
Juvenile weight
22.5 kg
Measured as Nose to rump. The person stands 1.75 m tall for scale.
Habitat requirements
Barrier grade
Grade 3 of 5
Minimum height
3 m minimum
Climbing & water
Climb proof
Needed
Water barrier
Not allowed
Habitat needs
Minimum area
Land
970 m² + 145 m² per extra animal
Water
30 m² + 5 m² per extra animal
Shelter
30 m² per animal
Environment
Temperature
-15 to 28°C
Plant coverage
0-100%
Enclosure
Climb-Proof Habitat
Dislikes
Snow
Terrain
- Grass 10-50%
- Sand 10-50%
- Soil 10-50%
- Rock 10-50%
- Snow 0-100%
Diet and enrichment
Diet
- Leafy Greens and Vegetables
- Meat Cuts and Fruit
Water sources
Conservation
IUCN Red List
Least concern
Least concern
Critically endangered
Wild population
100,000
100,000 in the wild. Rank 39 of 58 species with a known count, smallest first.
While of Least Concern today, the Eurasian brown bear has lost much of its historic range. Centuries of habitat destruction, hunting, and deliberate persecution have led to severe population declines and local extinctions. Bears had vanished from much of Western Europe by the early 20th century, surviving only in remote mountainous and forested areas. Growing environmental awareness and legal protections, such as the EU Habitats Directive and the Bern convention have laid the groundwork for bear conservation and recovery. Reintroductions and translocation efforts have played a vital role in restoring bear populations to former habitats, such as in Italy’s Trentino-Alto Adige region, or the Pyrenees Mountains, where bears from Slovenia were released to bolster a nearly extinct population. Bear reintroductions typically involve carefully selected individuals, soft-releases, post-release monitoring, and intensive community engagement to address human-wildlife conflicts. Several reintroduced populations are now breeding successfully and expanding their range, making the Eurasian brown bear one of Europe’s notable large carnivore conservation successes.
Zoopedia sketchbook
Social & reproduction
Keeper notes
Except for a mother with her cubs, brown bears are solitary. They only interact with each other to mate or fight over mates. They may be seen in close quarters when there is a desirable food source, such as gatherings of bears at rivers' edges during the salmon spawning season. Bears will usually ignore another bear when they encounter one. The breeding season for the Eurasian brown bear occurs between May and July. Males roam widely in search of receptive females and may compete for access to mates. Dominant individuals tend to have greater reproductive success. Brown bears are promiscuous, meaning both males and females mate with multiple partners. Due to delayed implantation, although fertilisation occurs soon after mating, the fertilised egg does not immediately implant in the uterus. Instead, implantation happens in late autumn, just before the female enters hibernation. Cubs are typically born in January or February, after a pregnancy of 7 to 8 months, during hibernation in a den. A litter usually consists of 1 to 4, usually 2 or 3, cubs, born blind, hairless, and very small. They remain in the den and feed only on milk until they are 3 or 4 months old. At this age, they will take their first trip out of the den and begin eating solid food. The female will not mate while she raises cubs, who usually remain with their mother for about 1.5 to 2.5 years, during which time she teaches them essential survival skills, including foraging and avoiding danger. Once the cubs become independent, they leave to become solitary and establish their own territory. Brown bears reach sexual maturity between 4 and 6 years of age, though reproduction may occur later depending on environmental and social conditions.
Group and breeding
Group
Group size
1-2 (up to 1 male, up to 1 female)
Male bachelor group
1
Female bachelor group
1
Offspring dispersal
All offspring
Lifecycle and breeding
Life expectancy
22-26 years
Age of sexual maturity
4 years
Age of sexual sterility
25 years
Gestation or incubation
7.5 months
Interbirth period
52.5 months
Litter size
1-4
Mating system
Promiscuous
Mating season
Summer
Reproduction in captivity
Easy
Research
Research levels
| Level | Unlocks | Research gate |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Thriving Requirement 1: at least 12 objects or plants with the Climbable tag | |
| Level 2 | Thriving Requirement 2: Water Surface Area; Eurasian Brown Bear Fact Sheet | |
| Level 3 | Release groups and release to the wild | |
| Level 4 | Thriving Requirement 3: Food Grade 2; Fertility Level 1 (+15% fertility) | Before this level: an Observation Network (Observation Platform) in Sweden Reserve and this species released in Sweden Reserve |
| Level 5 | Thriving Requirement 4: at least 15 objects or plants with the Tree Litter tag | |
| Level 6 | Thriving Requirement 5: at least 3 objects or plants with the Fruit Bearing tag; Fertility Level 2 (+30% fertility) |
Researched by
Vets
Researched at
Habitat or exhibit and Research Centre
Wildlife Reserve
Sweden Reserve
Every level of this species' research, with its unlock conditions.
Release groups
Valid release groups
| Group | Type | Animals |
|---|---|---|
| Mixed Group | Mixed group | 1 male, 3 females |
| Maternal Family Group | Female group | 1 female |
| Solitary Male | Solitary male | 1 male |
Release requirements
| Requirement type | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Ecosystems Required | Moorland |
| Ecosystems Required | Flourishing Lake |
Ecosystems
Release groups, reserve requirements and the roles this species fills.
Animal facts
- The Eurasian brown bear’s sense of smell is 2,100 times better than humans, and even better than dogs.
- Eurasian brown bear cub litters usually have multiple fathers.
- Eurasian brown bears walk on the soles of their feet when standing upright, like humans. This gives them excellent balance.
- In the wild, Eurasian brown bears hibernate for up to 7 months without eating, drinking, urinating or defecating.
- Although Eurasian brown bears can be dangerous predators, they are hypocarnivorous omnivores and 70 to 80% of their diet is vegetarian.
Taxonomy
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species
