Short answers, pulled from the story.
Carl Linnaeus scientifically described the brown bear under the name Ursus arctos in the 1758 edition of Systema Naturae. This classification established the scientific foundation for all subsequent taxonomic studies of the species.
As many as 90 subspecies have been proposed, though few authorities list the same set of subspecies. A 2008 DNA analysis identified as few as five main clades while a 2017 phylogenetic study revealed nine clades including one representing polar bears.
There are approximately 200,000 brown bears left in the world with the largest populations located in Russia and North America. The species remains listed as a least-concern status by the IUCN despite facing local extinctions in certain regions.
Brown bears first emigrated to North America from Eurasia via Beringia during the Illinoian Glaciation. They entered Europe 250,000 years ago and North Africa shortly after entering the continent.
Most brown bears derive up to 90% of their dietary food energy from vegetable matter rather than meat. They often feed on berries grasses flowers acorns pine cones and fungi such as mushrooms throughout their habitat.