Brown bear (Ursus arctos) belong to the family Ursidae (bears) of order Carnivora.
In Europe, bears are distributed across ten populations ranging in size from 22-27 individuals in the Pyrenean population to over 7,000 individuals in the Carpathian population, spread across Romania, Poland, Slovakia, and Serbia.
Bears are considered to be a keystone species and play a critical role in maintaining the structure of ecological communities by influencing the behaviour, distribution and numbers of other species in the community.
Brown bear facts
Weight Males 140 – 320 kg / Females 100 – 200 kg
Diet Omnivorous: berries, nuts, ants, green vegetation, carcasses and young of wild ungulates, livestock, and honey.
Social organisation Solitary territorial animal. There is limited data available on the social structure of brown bears in Europe.
Home ranges Vary from 120 km2 to 1600 km2 for males and 60 km2 to 300 km2 for females.
Bears in Romania Within Romania, there are an estimated 6,000 bears distributed across the Carpathian Arc. Despite Romania’s relatively large population, bears are under threat from such issues as habitat fragmentation, poaching, inadequate management plans, and conflict with people’s negative perceptions towards bears.
More information on the biology, ecology and status of and threats to the bears can be found at the following links: