Grizzly Bear ( Ursus horribilis )

Even there name, horribilis, brings visions of savagery and fear.
The mountain men and fur trappers of long ago called them the white bear
or "Old Ephraim" because of the silver or frosted color of their main. The
mountain men were always in fear of this spine tingling symbol of the old west
which grew to six or seven feet long and weighed from 325 to 850 lbs. and
stood three and a half feet at the shoulder. They have a noticeable hump above
their shoulders and their front claws can be four inches long and strong enough
to rip a door from an automobile. A black bears claws are only around one or
two inches long. The grizzly population has shrunk to only a few wilderness
locations and that is probably a good way to preserve their presence in our
world. They can be a threat to humans if left to roam at will throughout the
country. Their presence is known in Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks in
the U.S., Banff and Jasper parks in Canada as well as Mt. McKinley N.P.
in Alaska where there wellbeing as well as human safety are preserved.

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Grizzly Bear ( Ursus horribilis )

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There is a story about Lewis and Clark on their trek across country, they met
this "most tremendous looking animal" and Old Ephraim chased Lewis right into
the Missouri River. Even Kit Carson had to climb a tree when chased by a duo
of grizzles "flashing fiery passion, their pearly teeth glittering with eagerness
to mangle his flesh" so the story goes. From Massachusetts came a shoemaker
named John Capen Adams who set out to capture and train grizzly bears. He
wrestled them rode them and used them as pack animals. He even died from
wounds received from a grizzly bear, but his name lives on as Grizzly Adams.

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