As US records show, the largest grizzly bear ever documented was a true giant
Still, it doesn’t hold a candle to the brown bear’s record holder First things first: When talking discs or anything grizzlies, it’s important to know what makes a grizzly a grizzly as opposed to another brown bear
As Katmai National Park Ranger Cheryl Spencer explains, “All grizzly bears are brown bears
Grizzlies are simply a subspecies of brown bear
The difference is basically where the bear lives” In short, a real grizzly is a brown bear that lives inland
While brown bears, like the giants during Katmai’s Fat Bear Week, “have access to these coastal resources” All of the above is relevant information when looking up records online for the largest grizzly bear ever, as many brown bear records are attributed to grizzlies when they shouldn’t be
Brown bears tend to be larger than grizzlies inland as well
You’ll find record-holding grizzlies and browns separately below as a result, each taken only from reputable documentation The largest grizzly bears ever recorded (Ursus arctos horribilis) In total, there are only six entries into the state of Montana for grizzly bears, as the species has been protected since 1975 (two years after the introduction of the Endangered Species Act)
Regardless, Montana provides official historical documentation of their brown bears, which are true inland grizzlies
For these reasons, the state is the most reliable source of record grizzly bears Largest grizzly bear ever recorded in Montana: 25 9/16 skull measurements This grizzly was taken from the Missouri River Breaks in 1890 by ES Cameron
The skull of this bear is currently housed in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
(source) As the top post illustrates, grizzly bear records are documented by their skull measurements
While this allows scoring of older sightings, it does not provide official measurements for the largest grizzly bears
For this, we look to Montana’s third-largest to date, as contenders for second place are in contention: Third-largest grizzly bear recorded in Montana: Lincoln GrizzlyMontana’s “Lincoln Grizzly” is on permanent display at the Lincoln Ranger District office
(source) While tall tales of 1,200 pound grizzly giants persist, the weight of the Lincoln Grizzly reveals a more realistic measure
Brown bear species reach much larger sizes, but the majority are coastal brown bears (which are again larger than grizzlies) The largest Alaska brown bear ever recorded (Ursos arctos middendorffi) When it comes to brown bears at large, the largest ever recorded comes from Alaska
There, a unique, titanic bear population has grown through 12,000 years of genetic isolation in the state’s Kodiak region and islands
And as the record holder shows, the brown skull towers over Montana’s largest documented grizzly by a full 5 inches:
World Record Alaska Brown Bear: 30 12/16 Skull Measurements This brown bear was taken near Kodiak’s Karluk Lake in late May 1952 “The huge bear was shot by Roy R
With a skull score of 28 4/16, “its skin was more than 9 feet square, and biologists in Alaska estimated this giant bruin to be more than 20 years old,” quotes hunter and naturalist John McAdams of The Big Game Hunt In kind, Alaska’s all-time record holder probably stood between 9 and 10 feet on its hind legs in life
It is a true giant, and easily one of the largest bears – brown or grizzly – that ever lived For an in-depth look at the difference between grizzlies and browns, see our National Parks Journal: Katmai Ranger Cheryl Spencer Explains the Difference Between Brown and Grizzly Bears next