brown bear vs gray wolf

Ursus arctos compared with Canis lupus

Key Differences

• brown bear is Extinct while gray wolf is Critically Endangered.
• brown bear is omnivore while gray wolf is carnivore.
• brown bear is 6.7x heavier than gray wolf.
• brown bear lives longer (25 years vs 13 years).

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	brown bear	gray wolf
Kingdom same	Animalia (动物界)	Animalia (动物界)
Phylum same	Chordata (脊索动物门)	Chordata (脊索动物门)
Class same	Mammalia (哺乳動物)	Mammalia (哺乳動物)
Order same	Carnivora (食肉目)	Carnivora (食肉目)
Family	Ursidae (Bears)	Canidae (Dogs & Wolves)
Genus	Ursus (Bears)	Canis (Dogs & Wolves)
Species	Ursus arctos	Canis lupus

Evolutionary Relationship

brown bear and gray wolf share a common ancestor at the Order level: Carnivora. (食肉目)

Conservation Status

brown bear

EX — Extinct

Population: ~200.0K

Trend: Stable →

gray wolf

CR — Critically Endangered

Population: ~300.0K

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	brown bear	gray wolf
Diet	Omnivore	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	25 years	13 years
Average Length	2.0 m	1.6 m
Average Weight	300.0 kg	45.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

brown bear

Habitat

Typically found in a wide range of habitat types.

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries).

gray wolf

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, deserts and xeric shrublands, and tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, among 13 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Seychelles), Asia (Japan), Europe (5 countries), North America (7 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (Marshall Islands, Vanuatu), and South America (5 countries). Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

brown bear

棕熊是世界上分布最广泛的熊类物种，从北美和欧洲横跨俄罗斯至日本，占据森林、冻原和高山草甸。阿拉斯加沿海种群的成年个体体重可达700公斤。棕熊是杂食性动物，以浆果、根茎、鱼类和腐肉为食，是跨景观分配养分的关键物种。大多数种群稳定，但部分亚种受到威胁。

gray wolf

灰狼是分布最广的野生犬科动物，分布范围从北美横跨欧亚大陆，栖息于冻原、森林和草原等多种生境。高度社会化的动物，以由占优势的繁殖对领导的家族群体生活。作为关键捕食者，狼调节猎物种群并深刻影响生态系统结构，黄石公园的重引入项目对此有充分证明。曾遭到严重迫害，但目前许多地区的种群正在恢复。

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇳🇴 Norway 🇷🇺 Russia 🇸🇪 Sweden