Subspecies of Brown Bear


There is little agreement on classification of brown bears. Some systems have proposed as many as 90 subspecies, while recent DNA analysis has identified as few as five clades. DNA analysis recently revealed that the identified subspecies of brown bears, both Eurasian and North American, are genetically quite homogeneous, and that their genetic phylogeography does not correspond to their traditional taxonomy. As of 2005, 16 subspecies have been recognized. The subspecies have been listed as follows: 

Brown BearEast Siberian brown bear Brown BearEurasian Brown Bear Brown BearGrizzly Bear
Brown BearHimalayan Brown Bear Brown BearKamchatka Brown Bear Brown BearKodiak Bear
Brown BearSyrian Brown Bear Brown BearTibetan Blue Bear Brown BearUssuri Brown Bear


Other subspecies of Brown Bear

Subspecies Name Distribution Description
Ursus Arctos Nelsoni – Mexican Grizzly Bear (Extinct) Northern Mexico, including Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Sonora, southwestern United States including southern ranges of Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico This bear is believed extinct due to cattle ranching in both the United States and Mexico. Distinct in its ability to survive arid conditions, it could live in both montane pine forests of Mexico and canyonlands of Sonoran Desert.
Ursus arctos sitkensis Baranof Island Appearing to be more closely related to the polar bear than to other brown bears, this species is called "clade I" by Waits, and others., and is part of the subspecies identified as U. a. sitkensis, by Hall and as U. a. dalli by Kurtén.
Ursus arctos marsicanus Marsican brown bear Marsica (a small zone in Central Italy) No Description
Ursus arctos stikeenensis No information No Description
Ursus arctos alascensis Alaska No Description
Ursus arctos californicus – California golden bear California No Description
Ursus arctos crowtheri – Atlas bear California No Description
Ursus arctos dalli No information No Description

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