Brown Bear Skull

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The brown bear, scientifically known as Ursus arctos, is a massive bear with the widest distribution of any living ursid species. The species is found across vast areas of northern Eurasia and North America, showcasing its incredible adaptability to diverse environments. Among the two largest terrestrial carnivorans alive today, the brown bear stands out, rivaled only by its close cousin, the polar bear (Ursus maritimus), which tends to be larger in size due to genetic factors. There are numerous recognized subspecies within the brown bear species, each with their unique characteristics and distributions. The brown bear's primary habitat spans across parts of Russia, Central Asia, China, Canada, the United States (mostly Alaska), Scandinavia, the Carpathian region (particularly Romania), Anatolia, and the Caucasus. In several European countries, the brown bear has been designated as a national or state animal, reflecting its cultural significance. While the brown bear's range has diminished and local extinctions have occurred, it remains classified as a least concern species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with an estimated population of around 200,000 individuals. As of 2012, the American black bear is the only other bear species not considered threatened by the IUCN. However, several subspecies have faced extinction in the past due to hunting and habitat loss. The Californian, North African (Atlas bear), and Mexican subspecies were hunted to extinction in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Many southern Asian subspecies are now highly endangered. One of the smaller-bodied subspecies, the Himalayan brown bear, is critically endangered, occupying only 2% of its former range and threatened by uncontrolled poaching for its parts. The Marsican brown bear, one of several isolated populations of the main Eurasian brown bear race, in central Italy is believed to have a population of just 30 to 40 bears.