How Do Grizzly Bears Adapt to Their Environment?
A grizzly bear is adapted to its environment with its sharp claws, its build and its ability to hibernate. The grizzly uses its claws to as a striking force and to hunt for supper, which is made up of both plants and burrowing animals.
Although the grizzly bear does not look particularly graceful, it has the build of a runner. The hump on its back is the major adaptation that makes this possible. It is where the muscles are located that give the grizzly both its ability to run down caribou and the strength to dig for food in the ground.
The claws that are so useful in digging up food are also adapted to digging out dens during times of reproduction and hibernation. The grizzly bear hibernates as a way to survive during the cold of winter when food is scarce. Before it hibernates, the bear spends much of its time hunting and foraging for food. During the late summer, a large part of the diet is made up of salmon. The bear must have enough fat stores to last it through the winter. When it hibernates, the bear neither drinks nor eats because its body temperature and metabolism drop down.
