BooBoo European Brown Bear (Ursus arctos arctos)

This is BooBoo, a female European Brown Bear. She did the Bear Creek Pasta commercial with her sister. They needed a home, and we were thrilled to be able to make them a part of our family.

The European Brown Bear has brown fur, which can range from yellow-brownish to dark brown, red brown, and almost black in some cases; albinism has also been recorded. The fur is dense to varying degree and the hair can grow up to 4 inches in length. The shape of the head is normally quite round with relatively small, round ears, a wide skull and a mouth equipped with 42 teeth, including predatory teeth. It has a powerful bone structure, large paws, equipped with big claws, which can grow up to 4 inches in length. The weight varies depending on habitat and time of the year.

Brown Bears are not full hibernators; they enter a dormant state, and they can be awakened easily. They locate a den, such as a cave, crevice or hollow log, and stay their during the winter months while they are in dormancy.

During dormancy, cubs are born blind, hairless, toothless and they weigh less than 1 pound. They will feed on their mother’s milk until spring, when they will weigh about 15-20 pounds. The cubs will remain with their mother for 2-4 years.

European Brown bears were present in Britain until around 500 AD when they were exterminated through hunting. They were also used in Ancient Rome for fighting in arenas. Today they are found across northern Eurasia.

The European Brown Bear is a European Protected Species and it has protection throughout the European Union.