Which bear subspecies became extinct in the 1960s?

The Mexican grizzly bear became extinct in the 1960s, with the population generally regarded as extinct by about 1964. It was a population of brown bear historically found in northern Mexico and parts of the southwestern United States.

Known scientifically as Ursus arctos nelsoni in older classifications, the Mexican grizzly was also called the Mexican silver bear because of its pale, silvery coat. It lived in mountain forests and temperate grasslands, and its diet included plants, fruit, insects, small mammals, and carrion.

The bear declined after repeated persecution by ranchers and hunters. It was trapped, shot, and poisoned, partly because it was blamed for killing cattle. By around 1960, reports suggested that only about 30 individuals remained, concentrated in isolated mountain areas of Chihuahua.

The answer is sometimes confused with the California grizzly bear, another extinct brown-bear population, but that bear disappeared earlier. The Atlas bear also became extinct long before the 1960s, while the Kodiak bear remains extant in Alaska. A few later reports of Mexican grizzlies were never confirmed.