California grizzly bear

The statue of a California Grizzly Bear gives you a good sense for the size of these beasts. Grizzly Bears are also known as Brown Bears, and both of these common names refer to the same species: Ursus arctos. Across its wide range in the northern hemisphere, Ursus arctos evolved many local variants, and historically, many taxonomic subspecies were recognized, including the California Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos californicus). The word “grizzly” was probably a reference to the “grizzled” appearance of this big bear’s fur, as the long brown hairs are tipped with light brown or, generously, gold. California grizzlies were systematically exterminated in the late 1800s with modern weaponry, and the last grizzly of the Berkeley Hills was encountered in Strawberry Canyon in the late 1800s, near what is now known as Grizzly Peak. Cal’s athletic teams adopted the Grizzly Bear as a mascot after the track team rose to national prominence in 1895. To the south, note that a grove of coast live oaks anchor the ground in front of the stadium. These trees represent a remarkable remnant of an old-growth woodland, eking out an existence at the wildland–urban interface.