Syrian Brown Bear
The Syrian Brown Bear is the smallest of 16 subspecies of the brown bear. Historically its range was much greater than today. Now the animals inhabit mountainous regions of Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Georgia and northwest Pakistan. They are officially extinct in Syria Lebanon and Israel.
These bears attain an average weight of about 250 kg (500 lb). They are solitary except for females with cubs. An omnivore, the bear’s diet includes meat, fruit, grass and nuts.
They can live 20 – 30 years in the wild.
Syrian Brown Bear @ Safari Niagara
- Safari Niagara is home to two Syrian Brown Bears.
- Their names are Johnny & Willie.
- They live next door to our Black Bears at the western end of the park.
Scientific Classification
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivera |
| Family: | Ursidae |
| Genus: | Ursus |
| Species: | U. arctos |
Did you know?
- Syrian Brown Bears once lived as far south as the Sinai Peninsula and Egypt.
- Now they may be on the verge of extinction in the few pockets of their former range they still inhabit.
