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California grizzly bear
The California grizzly bear (Ursus arctos californicus), also known as the California brown bear, California golden bear, or chaparral bear, is an extinct population of the brown bear, generally known (together with other North American brown bear populations) as the grizzly bear. "Grizzly" could have meant "grizzled" – that is, with golden and grey tips of the hair – or "fear-inspiring" (as a phonetic spelling of "grisly"). Nonetheless, after careful study, naturalist George Ord formally classified it in 1815 – not for its hair, but for its character – as Ursus horribilis ("terrifying bear"). Genetically, North American brown bears are closely related; in size and coloring, the California grizzly bear was much like the Kodiak bear of the southern coast of Alaska. The grizzly became a symbol of the Bear Flag Republic, a moniker that was attached to the short-lived attempt by a group of U.S. settlers to break away from Mexico in 1846. Later, this rebel flag became the basis for the state flag of California.
A 1953 researcher stated, "The specific status of North American brown bears (or grizzly bears) is one of the most complex problems of mammalian taxonomy. The difficulty stems directly from the work of Merriam (1918), who concluded that there are 86 forms of grizzlies (and brown bears) in North America."
North American brown bears were taxonomically grouped as a species apart from other bear species, until DNA testing revealed that they should properly be grouped in the same species as the other brown bears. Grizzlies living in California had been classified by Merriam into many subspecies. Over time, these were all synonymized into a single subspecies, Ursus arctos californicus. A study based on mitochondrial DNA suggests that the only genetically anomalous grouping of grizzly bears is the ABC Islands bear, implying that previous grizzly bear subspecies designations are unwarranted. However, a formal taxonomic synonymy was not performed, and mitochondrial introgression is known to be an issue in brown bears. Pending further taxonomic resolution, the subspecies is provisionally accepted as separate.
A recent genomic study recovered the California grizzly within a clade of grizzly bears present in the contiguous United States. The grizzly bear population present in Yellowstone National Park was identified as most closely related to the California grizzly, and that the California population diverged approximately 10,000 years ago. The oldest fossil remains of grizzly bears in California were recovered from the La Brea tar pits. This fossil specimen, weighing ~455 kilograms (1,003 lb), is dated to the Greenlandian stage, over 7,500 years ago.
The California grizzly was historically considered an enormous bear. Father Pedro Font, an early missionary, described the local grizzly bears, writing, "He was horrible, fierce, large, and fat." In the 1800s, multiple newspaper accounts mentioned bears weighing well over 1,000 pounds (450 kg); the hind foot of one particular adult male grizzly was measured at 12 inches (300 mm) long by 8 inches (200 mm) wide, and claws were often 2 inches (51 mm) wide by 3.5 inches (89 mm) long. Measurements of museum specimens, however, demonstrate that this bear was no larger than those present in the rest of North America, with average body size estimates ranging from 104 kilograms (229 lb) to 252 kilograms (556 lb) depending on methodology.
The fur of the California grizzly bear has been described as golden brown, leading to the occasional name "California golden bear". The captive individual "Monarch" had a dark brown, almost black, pelt.
The diet of the California grizzly bear was diverse, ranging from plant sources like grasses, seeds, berries, and acorns, to animal sources such as elk, deer, salmon, steelhead, and carrion. Isotopic study indicates that the majority of the diet consisted of plant matter, as with other grizzly bear populations. Anecdotal reports from Spanish explorers reported California grizzly bears scavenging on beached whale carcasses. After the introduction of European livestock, California grizzly bears increasingly incorporated cattle into their diets. California grizzly bears were primarily solitary, except for mothers with cubs, but foraging groups of up to 40 have been reported.
Prior to Spanish settlement in the second half of the 1700s, it is estimated that 10,000 grizzly bears inhabited what is modern-day California. It is thought that the bears lived across almost the entirety of the state, save its most southeastern and northeastern corners. Probably the southernmost records for this subspecies are from the Sierra de Juárez, during the 18th century. The bear was most abundant in chaparral, oak woodland, and hardwood forests.
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California grizzly bear
The California grizzly bear (Ursus arctos californicus), also known as the California brown bear, California golden bear, or chaparral bear, is an extinct population of the brown bear, generally known (together with other North American brown bear populations) as the grizzly bear. "Grizzly" could have meant "grizzled" – that is, with golden and grey tips of the hair – or "fear-inspiring" (as a phonetic spelling of "grisly"). Nonetheless, after careful study, naturalist George Ord formally classified it in 1815 – not for its hair, but for its character – as Ursus horribilis ("terrifying bear"). Genetically, North American brown bears are closely related; in size and coloring, the California grizzly bear was much like the Kodiak bear of the southern coast of Alaska. The grizzly became a symbol of the Bear Flag Republic, a moniker that was attached to the short-lived attempt by a group of U.S. settlers to break away from Mexico in 1846. Later, this rebel flag became the basis for the state flag of California.
A 1953 researcher stated, "The specific status of North American brown bears (or grizzly bears) is one of the most complex problems of mammalian taxonomy. The difficulty stems directly from the work of Merriam (1918), who concluded that there are 86 forms of grizzlies (and brown bears) in North America."
North American brown bears were taxonomically grouped as a species apart from other bear species, until DNA testing revealed that they should properly be grouped in the same species as the other brown bears. Grizzlies living in California had been classified by Merriam into many subspecies. Over time, these were all synonymized into a single subspecies, Ursus arctos californicus. A study based on mitochondrial DNA suggests that the only genetically anomalous grouping of grizzly bears is the ABC Islands bear, implying that previous grizzly bear subspecies designations are unwarranted. However, a formal taxonomic synonymy was not performed, and mitochondrial introgression is known to be an issue in brown bears. Pending further taxonomic resolution, the subspecies is provisionally accepted as separate.
A recent genomic study recovered the California grizzly within a clade of grizzly bears present in the contiguous United States. The grizzly bear population present in Yellowstone National Park was identified as most closely related to the California grizzly, and that the California population diverged approximately 10,000 years ago. The oldest fossil remains of grizzly bears in California were recovered from the La Brea tar pits. This fossil specimen, weighing ~455 kilograms (1,003 lb), is dated to the Greenlandian stage, over 7,500 years ago.
The California grizzly was historically considered an enormous bear. Father Pedro Font, an early missionary, described the local grizzly bears, writing, "He was horrible, fierce, large, and fat." In the 1800s, multiple newspaper accounts mentioned bears weighing well over 1,000 pounds (450 kg); the hind foot of one particular adult male grizzly was measured at 12 inches (300 mm) long by 8 inches (200 mm) wide, and claws were often 2 inches (51 mm) wide by 3.5 inches (89 mm) long. Measurements of museum specimens, however, demonstrate that this bear was no larger than those present in the rest of North America, with average body size estimates ranging from 104 kilograms (229 lb) to 252 kilograms (556 lb) depending on methodology.
The fur of the California grizzly bear has been described as golden brown, leading to the occasional name "California golden bear". The captive individual "Monarch" had a dark brown, almost black, pelt.
The diet of the California grizzly bear was diverse, ranging from plant sources like grasses, seeds, berries, and acorns, to animal sources such as elk, deer, salmon, steelhead, and carrion. Isotopic study indicates that the majority of the diet consisted of plant matter, as with other grizzly bear populations. Anecdotal reports from Spanish explorers reported California grizzly bears scavenging on beached whale carcasses. After the introduction of European livestock, California grizzly bears increasingly incorporated cattle into their diets. California grizzly bears were primarily solitary, except for mothers with cubs, but foraging groups of up to 40 have been reported.
Prior to Spanish settlement in the second half of the 1700s, it is estimated that 10,000 grizzly bears inhabited what is modern-day California. It is thought that the bears lived across almost the entirety of the state, save its most southeastern and northeastern corners. Probably the southernmost records for this subspecies are from the Sierra de Juárez, during the 18th century. The bear was most abundant in chaparral, oak woodland, and hardwood forests.
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