The awe-inspiring brown bear lives in the forests and mountains of Europe, northern North America, and Asia.  It is the most widely distributed bear in the world.  Population estimates for the Tatras and surrounding area vary enormously from 400 to 1400 animals depending on which lobby you believe.  This discrepancy alone highlights the need for further research.  What is certain is that the bear density in the region is one of the highest in the world.

These omnivorous giants tend to be solitary animals, except for females and their cubs.
Brown bears dig dens for winter hibernation, often holing up in a suitable hillside. Females, or she-bears, den while pregnant and give birth during this winter rest, usually to a pair of cubs. Brown bear cubs nurse on their mother's milk until spring and stay with her for some two and a half year so females only reproduce once every three years.

Adult brown bears are powerful, top-of-the-food chain predators, but much of their diet consists of nuts, berries, fruit, leaves and roots. Bears also eat other animals, from rodents to deers.

Despite their enormous size, brown bears are extremely fast, having been clocked at speeds of 48 kilometers per hour. They can be dangerous to humans, particularly if surprised or if a person gets between a mother bear and her cubs.

Fast Facts
Type: Mammal
Diet: Omnivore
Average lifespan in the wild: 25 years
Size: 1.5 to 2.5 m
Weight: Adult Male: 250 - 400 kg