Buzz
While grizzly bears are often perceived as aggressive, this reputation is largely undeserved.
Dennis Donohue/iStock/ThinkstockThe response to this query hinges on a definition that has evolved. Initially, scientists believed brown bears and grizzlies were distinct species, but they are now classified under the same species, Ursus arctos. Despite this, there's ongoing debate about their classification and the number of subspecies. Approximately 200,000 brown bears inhabit regions mainly in North America and Russia [source: McLellan]. As a subspecies of brown bear, the Mexican grizzly might appear to still exist at first glance.
Delving deeper, the International Union for Conservation of Nature declared in a 1982 publication that Mexican grizzlies were extinct. The IUCN, responsible for monitoring the conservation status of flora and fauna, categorizes species as threatened, endangered, or secure. It also identifies Mexican grizzlies as a brown bear subspecies.
Here's the tale: Not long ago, a brown bear subspecies known as the Mexican grizzly roamed the southwestern U.S. and parts of Mexico. These bears were notably smaller than their northern relatives. In the 1960s, a rancher in Mexico initiated a campaign to eliminate the bears, accusing them of killing his livestock (though their diet primarily consisted of plants and insects, with little predation on mammals). This campaign likely led to the Mexican grizzly's extinction by 1964.
Is the Mexican grizzly truly extinct? While it is widely believed to be, the brown bear species still flourishes in regions across North America, Europe, and Asia. Ecologists classify the Mexican grizzly as extirpated, indicating its local extinction.
