Brown Bears in GURPS

The brown bear is a very large bear found across nothern and temperate regions of North America and Eurasia. Humans have driven it from much of its ancestral range, living now primarily in Siberia, Alaska, Canada, Scanidiavia, and parts of the Himalayas although it once ranged throughout Europe and the American Great Plains, Rockies, and coastal west as far south as California. Those living in North America are often called grizzly bears. The largest members of this species are found in coastal Alaska and far eastern Russia, with the Kodiak subspecies the biggest followed by the Kamchatka subspecies.

Brown bears live in open or semi-open habitat, ranging from plains to open woodland, mountain slopes, and tundra. In Europe and Asia they may frequent forests. These bears maintain territories around their dens, and will defend these territories from each other - and potentially from humans as well.

Brown bears are, in fact, brown, although they may range from dark chocolate brown to golden blond to near white. In addition to their size, brown bears can be distinguished based on their concave snouts and shoulder hump.

The grizzly bear was greatly feared in the American West, although it is now largely extinct in that region. They are known to be unpredictable, and will attack if they are suprized, if threatened, if guarding food, or if a female is guarding her cubs. Nevertheless, this species usually avoids people and only rarely attacks on sight. Attacks are rarely predatory, sometimes playing dead will result in the bear leaving its victim after chewing him out to give him a message. This species is notorious for taking a great many bullets and still attacking vigorously, consequently many people these days rely on pepper spray for bear defense. For those who insist on guns, high powered large game rifles or large bore shotguns firing slugs are recommended. Brown bears are large and powerful enough that it is not unusual for them to kill a man with a single blow.

The brown bear is respected and even venerated throughout its range. It is the national or state animal of Russia, Finland, Montana, and California (although ironically the Californian bears are now extinct at the hands of the Californians). Many traditional tales tell of bears that act much like humans, dressing in human clothes, living in human houses, using human furnature and eating utinsils, and even marrying humans.

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