Gallery of Humongous (Really, Really Big) Kodiak Bears
Giant Kodiak bears are the stuff of either dreams or nightmares, maybe both.
The Kodiak bear (Ursus arctos middendorffi) is found in the Kodiak Archipelago islands of southwestern Alaska. It is the largest subspecies of brown bear and one of the two largest members of the bear family, the other being the polar bear.
Mature male Kodiak bears average 1,000 to 1,200 pounds but can weigh up to 1,500 pounds when conditions are right.
Adult males also average around eight feet in length and stand – on all four feet – a little over four feet at the shoulder, while larger bears stand up to five feet at the shoulder. A fully upright bear, standing on its hind feet only, could reach 10 feet in height.
Most of the bears in this slideshow are considerably larger than those measurements.
Start the slideshow to see some truly massive, record-book Kodiak bears.
Dr. Pete Clark Bear (?)
Fragmented info on this bear. “Dr. Pete Clark took this exceptional bear while hunting with me last fall. Certainly over 11 ft. in his prime, but still well over 10 feet, Boone & Crockett 29 12/16ths. Fellow guide Troy Kitchel captured it on video. Killing shot was at 4 yards!”
Russell MacLennen Bear
Russell MacLennen, Bennett, CO.
10’ Kodiak Brown Bear 28” Boone and Crockett.
Kevin McAdams Bear
Kevin McAdams, Mantorville, MN.
10′ Kodiak Brown Bear 29 1/16” Boone and Crockett.
Kevin McAdams Bear
Kevin McAdams, Mantorville, MN.
10′ Kodiak Brown Bear 29 1/16” Boone and Crockett.
Soren Brond Bear
Soren Brond, Thelm, Denmark.
10’ Kodiak Brown Bear 27 15/16” Boone and Crockett.
Bob Fromme Bear
Bob Fromme takes world record Brown Bear on Kodiak Island 5/2/2002.
SCI scores Bob’s bear at 28 & 13/16.
Bart Schlayer Bear
From left to right: Paul Schafer, Jeff Boothe, Brad Adams and Bart Schlayer. Kodiak bear taken by Bart Schlayer in the fall of 1992. One of Paul’s last big hunts.
Lance Kronberger Bear
May 2011, Kodiak Island.
Hunters: Brendan Burns, Lance Kronberger.
“I was rarely speechless, but this bear’s size was shocking. Although it looks big in the photos they could not translate the body mass on this thing. Picture a draft horse crossed with a chain saw.” – Jason Hairston
Brian Shaub Bear
Brian Shaub, 44, of Lancaster, is dwarfed by the 1,100-pound Kodiak brown bear he shot October 2013.
Roy Lindsley Bear
World’s Record Alaskan Brown Bear, Kodiak Island, AK 1952?
Greatest length of skull without lower jaw : 17 15/16″.
Greatest width of skull: 12 13/16″.
Brian Shaub Bear
Brian Shaub bear hide. 1,100-pound Kodiak brown bear, shot October 2013.
W.H. Chase Bear
Brown Bear Killed By Dr. W. H. Chase of Cordova, Alaska in 1919. It appears this bear hide can be measured indirectly using the 38-inch long .401 Winchester Model 1910 rifle Dr. Chase holds as a reference, the hide must measure at least 11 feet from nose to tail – suggesting a bear over 12 feet tall on hind legs!
Andy Gorbett Bear
Andy Gorbett World Record Kodiak Bear. Kodiak, 1951. 11 ft bear. Record broken the next year.
Vintage image, possible Berry Brooks bear.
Vintage image, possibly Berry Brooks bear killed on Kodiak Island. Hide squared at 11′ 2″. Spokane Daily Chronicle, June 18, 1938.
(Next image for news clipping)
June 18, 1938 news clipping of Berry Brooks bear.
Possible news clipping for previous image. Spokane Daily Chronicle, June 18, 1938.
Graphis of prehistoric bear, Arctotherium
Infographic on prehistoric giant bear, Arctotherium. Arctotherium was an immense bear from South America. Fossil bone estimates place it at about 11–12 feet and over 3,500 lbs. You wouldn’t want to meet this creature in the woods. Looks like the scariest monster out of any Lucas or Spielberg film – but they actually existed.
Prehistoric Bear Comparison
Prehistoric bear. Paleontologist Leopoldo Soibelzon holds an upper arm bone of the giant bear next to an elephant’s. As meat-eaters go, “there’s nothing else that even comes close.”
