Brown bears are omnivorous animals, and plant foods account for more than 60%, mainly plant roots, tubers, forage, moss, grains and various fruits. They also feed on animal foods, such as wild boar, cattle and deer, as well as fish and insects. Brown bears sometimes prey on black bears and have a special preference for carrion, especially salmon.

What does brown bear eat?

Brown bears are omnivores, and their recipes will change with different habitats and seasons. For example, in Alaska, brown bears like to eat carrion and occasionally catch reindeer and moose. Brown bears around the coastline like to prey on salmon, especially during salmon spawning season and migratory salmon.

In summer and early autumn, brown bears eat many fruits, nuts, berries, bulbs and tubers. They feed on insects, fungi and tree roots all year round, and dig holes in the ground to catch mice, ground squirrels, groundhogs and other mammals. Butterfly moth larvae proved to be a particularly important protein and fat source for brown bears to gain weight in autumn.

Brown bears are still dominated by plant foods, accounting for more than 60%, including grains, forage, moss, fruits, plant roots and so on. Animals are still a minority, mainly insects, rodents, ungulates, fish and carrion.