BROWN BEARS

Updated 10/19/26

Meet Izzy and Oreo! 

Izzy is 16 years old and is the much larger bear of the pair. If you get a good look at him, you might notice one particularly adorable feature: his cute, droopy bottom lip! Izzy weighs around 1,300 pounds. 

Oreo is 28 years old and has a perfectly round, fluffy head. She is also the queen of this habitat - and she knows it! 

Both Izzy and Oreo were found as orphaned cubs and brought to the Alaska Zoo after biologists determined that they needed human care to survive. 

In the wild, brown bears typically live to be about 25 years old, but under human-managed care, they can live up to 40 years. 

During the winter, Izzy and Oreo hibernate in their den. When spring arrives, they emerge ready to explore - and, of course, eat! 

And they both love food. During the summer months, they can be given up to 100 pounds of fish every day! 

Have you ever wondered how to tell a brown bear from a black bear? One clue is the large shoulder hump on a brown bear. That hump is made of powerful muscles that help brown bears dig and use their massive front limbs. And remember, color isn't always a reliable way to tell them apart. Black bears can actually be brown, blonde, or even cinnamon-colored! 

And what about grizzlies and Kodiak bears? A grizzly bear is a type of brown bear that is generally found farther inland. A Kodiak bear is also a type of brown bear, but it is found specifically on the islands of Alaska's Kodiak Archipelago. So while all grizzlies and Kodiak bears are brown bears, not all brown bears are grizzlies or Kodiak bears. 

Take a look at those paws! Brown bears have long, powerful claws that can grow several inches long. They're excellent tools for digging, tearing apart food, and turning over logs and rocks in search of tasty treats. 

And speaking of food, here's something pretty special about the bears at the Alaska Zoo: all of the meat fed to our bears is supplied through meat donations from local community members. It's just one of the ways our community helps care for the animals here at the Zoo. 

The bears also have something pretty unique in their habitat: a spring-fed creek that runs right through it. Because the water comes from underground springs, the creek doesn't freeze during the winter and provides the bears with fresh water year-round. 

Every year on Mother's Day, our keepers put the bears' problem-solving skills to the test. They give the bears different types of trash cans and containers filled with treats. Why? Because bears are incredibly clever when it comes to finding food! This enrichment demonstrates just how easily a bear can figure out how to get into a container that might look secure to us. 

So next time you see a bear-proof trash can, remember: if there's food inside, a bear may be willing to put its brain - and those enormous claws - to work! 

To learn more about our bears and the wonderful things the Alaska Zoo does, visit AlaskaZoo.org.