---
title: "What the sources say about the Kodiak Bear | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "64 claims from the Kodiak Bear profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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# What the sources say about the Kodiak Bear (*Ursus arctos middendorffi*)

> 64 claims from the Kodiak Bear profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Kodiak Bear](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/kodiak-bear/)

## Kodiak Brown Bear (Ursus arctos middendorffi). U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Species Profile.

https://www.fws.gov/species/kodiak-brown-bear-ursus-arctos-middendorffi

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| adult males weighing 600 to 1,400 pounds | Adult males are 600 to 1,400 pounds (272 to 635 kilograms) |
| standing up to ten feet on their hind legs | up to 10 feet (3 meters) tall when upright |
| Sitka spruce forest, glaciated mountains, and tundra across the Kodiak Archipelago | From the dense forests of Sitka spruce on the northern islands, to steep, glaciated mountains ... to rolling hills and flat tundra on the south end |
| Salmon, sedges and berries | primarily consume vegetation like sedges, forbs and berries, as well as salmon |
| clams and marine mammal carcasses found among the kelp on beaches | flat open beaches patrolling for marine mammal carcasses, clams or invertebrates among the kelp |
| Loses 20 to 40% of its body mass during hibernation | lose 20 to 40% of their body mass during hibernation |
| Coastal Heavyweights | Kodiak brown bears and other coastal brown bears can weigh about twice as much as interior brown bears (note: the heading names no figure or comparison; adult males weigh 600 to 1,400 pounds on the same page) |
| is a subspecies of brown bear that lives only on Alaska's Kodiak Archipelago | is a subspecies of brown bear that only exists on the Kodiak Archipelago, which includes Kodiak Island and the surrounding islands of Afognak, Shuyak, Raspberry, Uganik, Sitkalidak and others, in Alaska. |
| It stands 3 to 5 feet (0.9 to 1.5 meters) high on all fours | The Kodiak brown bear is a large bear, 3 to 5 feet (0.9 to 1.5 meters) high while on all fours |
| up to 10 feet (3 meters) tall upright | up to 10 feet (3 meters) tall when upright |
| Adult males weigh 600 to 1,400 pounds (272 to 635 kilograms) | Adult males are 600 to 1,400 pounds (272 to 635 kilograms) |
| adult females 300 to 700 pounds (136 to 318 kilograms) | Adult females are 300 to 700 pounds (136 to 318 kilograms) |
| The Boone and Crockett Club's world-record bear is a Kodiak brown bear, with a skull measuring 30.75 inches (78.1 centimeters) in width plus length | The Boone and Crockett Club world-record bear is a Kodiak brown bear with a skull measuring 30.75 inches (78.1 centimeters; width + length). |
| Kodiak bears are thought to have diverged from their brown bear relatives around 12,000 years ago, after becoming geographically isolated at the end of the last ice age | The Kodiak bear is thought to have diverged from its brown bear relatives, most likely Alaska Peninsula and Kamchatka Russia populations, around 12,000 years ago after becoming geographically isolated at the end of the last ice age. |
| Some research suggests the genetic and size differences between them and other Alaskan brown bears are minimal, and that environment and food supply could largely explain the size differences | Some research, however, suggests that genetic and size differences between Kodiak bears and other Alaskan brown bears are minimal. That research contends that phenotypic plasticity, meaning the ability of individuals to reach different body types depending on the environment, and resource availability ... could largely explain size differences. |
| Still, genetic diversity within the Kodiak population is the lowest of any recorded North American brown bear population, a major conservation concern | Still, it is apparent that genetic diversity within the Kodiak population is the lowest of any recorded North American brown bear population, and is a major conservation concern. |
| Dense Sitka spruce forest grows on the northern islands, glaciated mountains rise to 4,470 feet (1,360 meters) along the central spine of Kodiak Island, and the south end has rolling hills and flat tundra | From the dense forests of Sitka spruce on the northern islands, to steep, glaciated mountains that rise to 4,470 feet (1,360 meters) along the central spine of Kodiak Island, to rolling hills and flat tundra on the south end |
| Bears are most often seen on low-elevation salt marshes in spring and on salmon streams or berry patches in summer | They are most commonly seen using seasonal resources on low-elevation salt marshes in the spring and salmon streams or berry patches in the summer. |
| they travel the beaches patrolling for marine mammal carcasses, clams or invertebrates among the kelp | flat open beaches patrolling for marine mammal carcasses, clams or invertebrates among the kelp |
| Salmon makes up about 64% of a Kodiak bear's diet, and plant matter such as sedges, forbs and berries another 26% | Diet analyses show that they primarily consume vegetation like sedges, forbs and berries, as well as salmon. Salmon makes up about 64% of their diet, with another 26% being plant matter. |
| An estimated 3,500 bears live on the archipelago | There are an estimated 3,500 Kodiak brown bears on the Kodiak Archipelago |
| Crowds on the Salmon Streams | When food resources are abundant, such as on salmon streams, localized densities of bears can be especially high |
| Kodiak bears communicate mainly with body language and are therefore quiet much of the time | Bears communicate primarily using body language and are therefore quiet much of the time. |
| On salmon streams they function within strict social hierarchies | When food resources are abundant, such as on salmon streams, localized densities of bears can be especially high and bears function within strict social hierarchies. |
| large males are often dominant, but females can also hold top positions | Large males are often dominant, but females can also hold top positions. |
| They sometimes huff, a quick exhale of air, in a surprise encounter with a person or another bear, or to warn their cubs of danger | bears will sometimes huff , which isa quick exhaling of air, during a surprise encounter with a human or other bear, or to signal danger to their cubs. |
| Months in the Den | Most bears spend a little more than half of the year active, searching for salmon, berries or other important foods, and spend the remainder of the year denning. |
| Brown bears lose 20 to 40% of their body mass during hibernation | Brown bears are heaviest just before hibernation in the fall, lose 20 to 40% of their body mass during hibernation |
| On Kodiak, bears typically begin denning in early to mid-November | In Kodiak, bears typically begin denning in early to mid-November. (note: the older Van Daele fact sheet says 'late October'; the current FWS page wins) |
| weighing less than a pound and unable to walk or see | weigh less than a pound at birth and are born unable to walk or see |
| The average litter has 2.4 cubs | The average litter has 2.4 cubs |
| they stay with their mother for 2 to 3 years before she drives them off to live on their own | Cubs stay with their mother for 2 to 3 years before mothers drive them off to live on their own. |
| Kodiak brown bears are considered old at 20 | While a 20 years of age is considered old for a Kodiak brown bear |
| they can live past 30 years in the wild and past 40 in captivity | they can live past 30 years in the wild and past 40 years in captivity. |
| Kodiak brown bears and other coastal brown bears can weigh about twice as much as interior brown bears, which are known as grizzly bears | Kodiak brown bears and other coastal brown bears can weigh about twice as much as interior brown bears, which are referred to as grizzly bears. |
| Adult male Kodiak bears weigh 600 to 1,400 pounds (272 to 635 kilograms) | Adult males are 600 to 1,400 pounds (272 to 635 kilograms) |
| can stand up to 10 feet (3 meters) tall on their hind legs | up to 10 feet (3 meters) tall when upright |
| Some research, though, suggests the genetic and size differences between Kodiak bears and other Alaskan brown bears are minimal | Some research, however, suggests that genetic and size differences between Kodiak bears and other Alaskan brown bears are minimal. |
| environment and food, such as the abundance of protein-rich foods, could largely explain the size differences | depending on the environment, and resource availability, for example the abundance of protein-rich foods, could largely explain size differences. |
| Almost anything they can find | Kodiak brown bears are omnivores and opportunists, eating both plant and animal matter, and consuming almost anything they can find. |
| Salmon makes up about 64% of a Kodiak bear's diet, and plant matter such as sedges, forbs and berries another 26% | Diet analyses show that they primarily consume vegetation like sedges, forbs and berries, as well as salmon. Salmon makes up about 64% of their diet, with another 26% being plant matter. |
| Deer, mountain goats and elk live on the island but do not make up a substantial part of the diet | Although deer, mountain goats and elk are present on the island, they do not make up a substantial portion of the diet. |
| Kodiak bears also occasionally eat marine mammals and invertebrates, birds and their eggs, rodents and human food | Kodiak brown bears are also known to occasionally consume marine mammals and invertebrates, as well as birds and their eggs, rodents and anthropogenic, meaning human-origin foods. |
| Through body language and a pecking order | Bears communicate primarily using body language and are therefore quiet much of the time. (note: the pecking order is the same page's 'bears function within strict social hierarchies', quoted for the next sentence) |
| Bears communicate mainly with body language and are therefore quiet much of the time | Bears communicate primarily using body language and are therefore quiet much of the time. |
| Where food is abundant, such as on salmon streams, bears can gather at especially high densities and function within strict social hierarchies | When food resources are abundant, such as on salmon streams, localized densities of bears can be especially high and bears function within strict social hierarchies. |
| large males are often dominant but females can also hold top positions | Large males are often dominant, but females can also hold top positions. |
| In a conflict, bears are more likely to make noise | During conflict, they are more likely to make noise. |
| jaw-popping, a clacking noise made by opening and closing the jaw in a specific way, can signal nervousness or agitation | Jaw-popping, which is a clacking noise that accompanies bears opening and closing their jaw in a specific way, can signal nervousness or agitation |
| sized to a bear whose adult males weigh 600 to 1,400 pounds | Adult males are 600 to 1,400 pounds (272 to 635 kilograms) (note: vibe.reason: the pairing now rests on mass, not on geography) |

## Species. Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

https://www.fws.gov/refuge/kodiak/species

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Isolated on one Alaskan island chain for about twelve thousand years | they have been isolated on the archipelago since the last ice age, about 12,000 years ago. |
| Islands Stacked With Food | A rich variety of vegetation, salmon, and berries provide ideal habitat for bears |
| the Karluk Lake drainage has one of the densest bear populations in the world | Kodiak's Karluk Lake drainage has one of the densest populations of bears in the world. |

## Brown Bear. Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Wildlife Notebook Series.

https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/education/wns/brown_bear.pdf

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| without eating, drinking, urinating or defecating in the den | While in the den they do not eat, drink, urinate or defecate. (note: the notebook (revised 2025) covers all Alaska brown bears, Kodiak bears included) |
| a large male brown bear in coastal areas may weigh up to 1,500 pounds (680 kilograms) | A large male may weigh up to 1,500 lbs (680 kg) in coastal areas (note: notebook revised 2025, covering all Alaska brown bears; the Van Daele fact sheet's Kodiak-only 'up to 1,500 pounds' is older (circa 2010) and no longer cited) |
| Brown bears are generally solitary but often gather in large groups at feeding areas such as salmon spawning streams | Although generally solitary in nature, brown bears often occur in large groups in concentrated feeding areas such as salmon spawning streams |
| because of this they have developed a complex language and social structure to minimize serious fights | Because of this, they have developed a complex language and social structure to express their feelings and minimize serious fights (note: notebook revised 2025; the older Van Daele fact sheet said 'avoid fights', and the current wording wins) |
| while in the den they do not eat, drink, urinate or defecate | While in the den they do not eat, drink, urinate or defecate. |
| although in its relatively mild winters some males stay active all winter | in areas with relatively mild winters, such as Kodiak, some male bears stay active all winter. |

## Van Daele, L.. Kodiak Bear Fact Sheet. Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=brownbear.trivia

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Kodiak cubs are born in the den in January or February | Cubs are born in the den during January or February. |

## Sommer et al. (2016). The Gut Microbiota Modulates Energy Metabolism in the Hibernating Brown Bear Ursus arctos. Cell Reports.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2016.01.026

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Obese but Healthy | Although bears seasonally become obese, they remain metabolically healthy. |
| Brown bears double their fat stores during summer and use that stored fat during hibernation | Brown bears double their fat depots during summer and use these stored lipids during hibernation. |
| They become seasonally obese, yet remain metabolically healthy | Although bears seasonally become obese, they remain metabolically healthy. |

## Huber (2025). Ursus arctos. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2025: e.T41688A216873475.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2025-1.rlts.t41688a216873475.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Least Concern | IUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC). (note: the assessment covers the species Ursus arctos; the Kodiak subspecies has no separate Red List assessment) |