The last captive California grizzly bear died in a California state zoo in 1911 and the last known documented wild California grizzly bear was hunted and killed in 1922 (Silva 67). It is hard to believe that the California grizzly bear is a currently extinct species in California since there was once upon a time when it was a dominant species in the state. Even though the California grizzly bears have disappeared from California, they are still "living" in Californians' daily lives. The California grizzly bear is displayed on the state flag and on the state seal, which is a representative of California's history. According to Robert Sullivan, the author of Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted Inhabitants, knowing about the inhabitants of a city or a place can help people further understand the city or the place (3). Because the California grizzly bear is the most influential and representative "inhabitant" of California, research on California grizzly bear can uncover California's history. .
Storer and Tevis, the authors of California Grizzly, provide biological information about California grizzly bears. The bears are classified as Ursus arctos horribilis. The nick name, grizzly bear, originates from their "grizzled" appearance resulting from the white tips on their hair. They were usually very strong and large. They had concave faces, diminutive eyes, short ears, and a relatively small heads, which were supported by necks of moderate length and large width. Their distinctive shoulder hump gave muscle power in the forelimbs to dig dens and compete with other animals or enemies. The weight of California grizzly bears depended on their age, sex, state of health, and nutrition, ranging from 250 pounds to 1,200 pounds with 600 pounds as the average for males and 500 pounds for females. The bears were omnivorous and their diet varied widely, for instance, plants, deer, elk, and fish.