The biggest grizzly bear ever recorded: 1,200 pounds and a 28-inch skull
This is the story behind the largest ever grizzly bear found.
Grizzly bears are already among the most formidable animals in North America. Adult males usually tip the scales at 400–600 pounds, with some reaching close to 600 pounds and standing about eight feet tall when on their hind legs.
One of the largest grizzlies ever documented wasn’t encountered alive, but discovered through a remarkable skull. In 1976, a taxidermist came across an unusually large specimen near Lone Mountain in Alaska.
The skull measured just under 28 inches in length—27 and 13/16 inches, to be exact. Based on this measurement, experts estimate the bear would have weighed roughly 1,200 pounds, placing it far beyond the average size of its kind.
Captivity has also given the world some extraordinary bear stories: two of the most famous were Clyde and Goliath, both of whom became legends in their own right.
Clyde, a Kodiak bear, lived at the Dakota Zoo after being born in 1965. Arriving as a small cub weighing only 180 pounds, he soon grew into a nine-foot, 2,400-pound giant. Beyond his size, Clyde played a role in federal research into radioactive fallout, before passing away in 1987.
Goliath’s lived at Space Farms Zoo & Museum in New Jersey from 1967 to 1991. He reportedly stood 12 feet tall and weighed over a ton. However, his size didn’t translate into a good quality of life: confined to a concrete enclosure, he suffered from severe rheumatism until his death.
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In the wild, Alaska’s coastal brown bears—closely related to inland grizzlies—are also known weigh up to 1,500 pounds and stand nearly 10 feet tall when upright, especially after feeding heavily before hibernation.
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