Grizzly Bear: Encyclopedia II - Grizzly Bear - Diet

Grizzly Bear - Diet

Being omnivores, grizzlies feed on a variety of plants and berries including roots or sprouts and fungi, as well as fish, insects and small mammals. The larger bears have been known to prey on large mammals such as moose, sheep and caribou. Bears with access to a protein-rich diet, such as the coastal bears which feed on salmon, can grow much larger than their herbivorous cousins.

In preparation for winter, bears will gain hundreds of kilograms of fat before going into a state of false hibernation. There is some debate amongst professionals as to whether or not Grizzly Bears technically hibernate. Much of this debate revolves around body temperature and the ability for the bears to move around during hibernation on occasion. One interesting adaptation is that Grizzly Bears have the ability to partially recycle their body wastes during this period. In some areas where food is plentiful all year round, Grizzly Bears will forgo hibernation altogether.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Diet", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki