The Bears of Kamchatka

Lucky visitors to the Valley of the Geysers in late spring and early summer may observe bears gathering here to mate. Brown bear is one of the largest land mammals on Earth. They have adapted to environments around the northern hemisphere – from the now fragmented forests of Europe to the Caucasus Mountains, from the deserts of Mongolia to the Arctic tundra in Siberia, and to large areas of North America. 

Worldwide, there are approximately 150-210,000 bears. More than half are found in Russia, while 30-40,000 reside in North America. But populations of brown bears are declining. Only in Siberia, northeastern Russia, and Alaska are bear populations more or less stable. Brown bears – also called grizzlies in the U.S. and Canada – differ in size and attributes in their various geographical regions and are divided into seven to 12 subspecies. 

The Kamchatka subspecies of brown bear (Ursus arctos piscator in Latin – meaning “fish-eating”) is larger than most other subspecies of brown bear. Only the Kodiak bear on Alaska is larger on average.