What is the common name for Ursus arctos horribilis?

Ursus arctos horribilis is the scientific name for the grizzly bear.

The grizzly is generally treated as a North American population or subspecies of the brown bear, whose species name is Ursus arctos. The subspecies name horribilis was assigned by naturalist George Ord in 1815. It does not mean that grizzlies are a separate bear species; modern classification places them within the broader brown-bear species.

The word “grizzly” is commonly linked to the bear’s grizzled appearance, caused by pale or gray-tipped hairs. Early explorers also used the spelling “grisly,” which suggested something frightening. The two meanings helped shape the bear’s memorable common name.

Grizzlies are often confused with Kodiak bears, European brown bears and Siberian brown bears. All are forms or populations associated with Ursus arctos, but their geographic names do not make them equivalent to U. a. horribilis in every taxonomic treatment. Kodiak bears, for example, are traditionally classified as a separate brown-bear subspecies. Grizzlies are especially associated with inland North America, while coastal brown bears are often larger because of abundant food such as salmon.