Ursus arctos (Himalayan brown bear)
Ursus arctos – Himalayan brown bear
Brown bear photographed in GHNP ( Click to enlarge)
| Common name | Himalayan brown bear. |
| Latin name | Ursus arctos Linnaeus 1758 |
| Local name | Lal bhalu |
| IUCN/WPA/Indian status | Least concern/II/Rare |
| Social unit | Solitary |
| Size / weight | HBL : 150-280 cm. WT : 130-550 kg. (male) 80-250 kg ( female) |
| Description | The Himalayan brown bear is the world’s largest terrestrial carnivore. It is considerably smaller than its more famed relatives the Grizzly and the Kodiak bears. However, it s still a very large bear with  a thick reddish brown coat with no clear chest markings is seen and this can be visible even in some adults in a new summer coat. The coat is shorter in  summer and longer in winter. |
| Behavior | This is the least arboreal bear and is largely terrestrial as an adaptation to life in the rolling uplands above the tree line . It hibernates in winter. |
| Distribution | Through the Western Himalayan states of Jammu & Kashmir Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand (3000-5000 m) |
| Habitat | It is not primarily a forest animal and inhibits alpine scrub and meadows above the tree line although it is occasionally found in subalpine forests. |
| Best seen | Great Himalayan NP. Himachal Pradesh |