Genomic data from the extinct California brown bear suggests a source population for reintroduction to California.

ABSTRACT: California brown bears, also known as California grizzlies or golden bears, are an extinct group that once thrived in North America's western coastal habitats. Despite being common in the region as recently as the early 19th century, intense poisoning, trapping, and hunting led to their extinction by 1924. Today, California is emerging as a candidate for brown bear reintroduction as a component of larger ecosystem restoration efforts. Questions remain, however, about whether living brown bears are suitable proxies for the bears that once inhabited California. While recent work suggests that brown bears from California were similar in size and overall diet to brown bears living today in continental North America, the 1) extent to which California bears were genetically differentiated from o

SUBMITTER: Wooldridge TB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12277570 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature