Brown Bear 17 Subspecies

Grizzly Bear: The grizzly bear is identified by a medium to dark brown coat with gray or blond "grizzled" tips on the fur which contrast with the black base. Highly variable in size based largely on environmental conditions. It is also highly adaptable: it can live in montane pine forests, temperate rainforest, semi-arid scrubland, tundra and shortgrass prairie.

Dall Island Brown Bear: Named in 1911 by ornithologist Harry S. Swarth. It is also known as the Island Black Bear because they are found on Dall Island in the Alexander Archipelago of Alaska. No brown bears are known to reside there. One of its traits is that its skull is broader and heavier with flattened frontal bones. Their fur is black.

Kodiak Brown Bear: This is the largest distinct subspecies of brown bear, though the coastal-living members of other brown bear subspecies potentially rival it in size. It is medium-hued, typically not as dark as most forms from eastern Asia, but distinctly darker than grizzly bears.

California Grizzly Brown Bear (extinct): The last known California grizzly bear was shot in California in 1922. Museum specimens illustrate that this population was golden-blonde overall typically without the contrasting black fur base of true grizzly bears. It also appeared to have been considerably larger, with a broader muzzle than true grizzly bears.

ABC Islands Bear or Sitka Brown Bear: It is a subspecies of brown bear that resides in Southeast Alaska and is found on Admiralty Island, Baranof Island, and Chichagof Island of Alaska. The ABC Islands bears have the appearance of the typical Alaskan grizzly bear, which includes milk chocolate colored fur, a humped back, with a large size and reputation to match.

Stickeen Brown Bear or Stikine Brown Bear: It is a large subspecies of North American brown bear that is most commonly dark brown in color but can also range from blonde to black, featuring a distinctive hump on its shoulders and a slightly dished profile to the face.