Brown bears (Ursus arctos)

Until recently, brown bears have been regarded as a genera within the bear family, made up of distinct species, however, brown bears are now more commonly considered to be variants of the same species. Bear taxonomy is the subject of much debate, even at the highest levels. In North America, there are two principal 'types' of brown bear; the grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) and the Kodiak bear (Ursus arctos mittendorfii). A further variant is the Alaskan brown bear or Alaskan coastal grizzly bear, which has some of the appearance of the Kodiak bear, but which has generally been considered to be more closely linked to the grizzly bear. Bears are very adaptable, and the difference between sub-species of brown bear it is to do with adaptation to different conditions and food availability. Many people feel that the species taxonym "horribilis", and even its modern equivalent, "grizzly" promotes bad or sensational impressions of the animal. As a result of a combination of these factors, the name "grizzly" is now often dropped in favour of just "brown bear".