Meet ‘Grizzly Bear 399’ — The World’s Most Famous Bear with 30K Instagram Followers

The abundance of wildlife photography and videography has made it easy to enjoy the awesome beauty of all kinds of animals. We can live vicariously through the camera lens, often seeing animals we may never otherwise encounter. But one of the other side effects of wildlife photography is that some very personable and charismatic animals become famous. Such is the case of Grizzly Bear 399, which is known and loved worldwide.

The article below looks at this amazing grizzly, her life, her habitat, and what other animals live near her. Let’s take a look!

Meet ‘Grizzly Bear 399’

The beloved bear was born in 1996 and roams a vast territory throughout the Grand Teton National Park and Bridger-Teton National Forest, Wyoming. Grizzly Bear 399 is beloved by at least 40 wildlife photographers, who vie every year over who gets first dibs on a photo of her emerging from hibernation. Visitors flock to the Yellowstone area to hopefully catch a glimpse of her or any other grizzly bears. Most famous female brown bear. She has her own Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter pages.

One of Grizzly Bear 399’s daughters (Grizzly 610) lunged at curious tourists who approached her too closely. Those incidents prompted a new 100-yard viewing radius managed by park rangers and the Grand Teton Wildlife Brigade. The all-volunteer brigade started after Grizzly 399 became an instantaneous celebrity in 2007. 

But even before Grizzly 399 became famous, she was well-known to the research community. After her birth in Pilgrim Creek, Wyoming, researchers from the Yellowstone Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team gave her her name. 

Grizzly Bear 399 weighs approximately 400 pounds and is 7 feet tall when standing upright on her hind legs. She is 26 years old, which is unusual for grizzly bears that live near humans. Experts believe one of the reasons she has lived so long is her lack of attacks on humans, although there have been close calls.

Grizzly Bear 399’s Life

The famous bear has an amazing lineage. She boasts 22 cubs and grand cubs. Unfortunately, not all have survived encounters with male grizzly bears and humans. And while most grizzly bears give birth to twin cubs, Grizzly Bear 399 typically gives birth to triplets.

Unlike most grizzly bears, Grizzly Bear 399 does not avoid humans. She seems to prefer more populated areas, which has helped increase her global popularity. Researchers are not exactly sure why this is the case. However, one popular theory is that Grizzly 399 recognizes that her cubs are safer near people than deep in the woods, where they may get attacked by male grizzlies. 

What Are Grizzly Bears?

North American Brown Bears (Ursos arctos horribilis) are commonly known as grizzly bears. The Endangered Species Act of 1973 saved the North American Brown Bear. Half of the country’s estimated 2,000 bears currently live in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. 

The grizzly bear is native to North America and lives a relatively solitary life, except for mating and cub rearing. They can weigh between 400 and 800 pounds, with males coming out at the higher end of that range. Grizzly bears’ height refers to their height when standing on their hind legs. And it can range from 7 to 10 feet. The bears typically live between 15 and 25 years, although that varies greatly depending on fights with other bears or deadly human interactions.

And despite their large size, grizzly bears are extremely fast, with a top speed of 35 mph. 

Female grizzly bears will give birth to cubs during hibernation. Typically, bears will have twins rather than a single cub. So many wildlife photographers eagerly wait nearby during the spring months to snatch a photo of cute new grizzly cubs.

They are omnivores that prefer fruit, salmon, and other fish. One can easily find spectacular photos or videos of grizzly bear salmon fishing. They spend their summers eating as much as possible to pack on the fat needed for a successful hibernation.

What Is the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem?

Grizzly Bear 399 and her family call the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem home. This expansive space covers 22 million acres across Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. It is one of the last remaining (almost) intact ecosystems in the global northern temperate zone. Situated in the Northern Rocky Mountains, the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem has the Yellowstone Caldera and Yellowstone National Park.

The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem officially started in the 1970s, when it spanned 4 million acres. It underwent multiple subsequent expansions until it reached its current boundaries in the mid-1990s. As a result, the region is home to a diverse number of plants and animals and is the center of many conservation efforts.

Despite its name, the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem includes not just Yellowstone National Park. Some other protected areas inside the Ecosystem managed by federal agencies include Bridger-Teton National Forest, Grand Teton National Park, Shoshone National Forest, and Custer National Forest. It is also home to ten National Wilderness Areas and two National Wildlife Refuges. 

What Animals Live in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem?

Often, when someone thinks of Yellowstone, images of bison, elk, wolves, and bears enter their mind. And it’s not wrong to automatically think of those iconic Western animals. After all, they do all call the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem home.

But the area sustains significantly more diverse wildlife than just those few wonderful creatures. Other large mammals that live in the broader Ecosystem include moose, bighorn sheep, pronghorn, and mule deer. Visitors may also spot one of the numerous coyotes, red foxes, bobcats, or black bears.

Look up into the sky, and you may catch a glimpse of ferruginous hawks, turkey vultures, screech owls, great horned owls, prairie falcons, sandhill cranes, or Swainson’s hawks. 

But those are just a sampling of the many, many animal species living in the same vicinity as Grizzly Bear 399. Yellowstone National Park alone is home to 300 bird species, 60 mammal species, six reptile species, and 16 fish species. Those numbers don’t even account for the wildlife in the wilderness areas and wildlife refuges. 

Visitors come to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem to get a taste of nature and experience epic wildlife viewing opportunities. And they rarely leave disappointed.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © BlueBarronPhoto/Shutterstock.com