CANTABRIAN BROWN BEAR

The Brown Bear in Somiedo

The Cantabrian brown bear (Ursus arctos) is the most emblematic mammal of Somiedo Natural Park and one of the great land predators still surviving in western Europe. Its presence in the park is no coincidence: the dense forests, high mountain passes and low human population density of Somiedo provide the bear with the peace and food abundance it needs. The park forms part of the core of the western Cantabrian population — the most important bear population on the Iberian Peninsula.

Characteristics of the Cantabrian Brown Bear

The brown bear is a massively built mammal with a large head, rounded ears, a muscular neck and a characteristic shoulder hump formed by the powerful muscles of its forelimbs. Its coat ranges from pale to dark brown depending on the individual and the season. It walks in a plantigrade posture — placing the entire sole of the foot on the ground — leaving a distinctive print. Its dentition, though belonging to the order Carnivora, is adapted to an omnivorous diet: it has flattened molars for crushing plant matter alongside robust canines.

• Length: 1.7 to 2.2 metres from nose to tail
• Shoulder height: 0.9 to 1.1 metres
• Weight: males 120–220 kg, females 60–120 kg (varies by season and food availability)
• Longevity: up to 25–30 years in the wild

Habitat in Somiedo

In Somiedo Natural Park, the brown bear uses the full altitudinal gradient available: from the mixed oak and chestnut forests of the lowlands to the beech and birch woodlands of mid-mountain elevations and the grasslands and heathlands of the high passes. Its home range can exceed 1,000 km², overlapping with several municipalities in western Asturias. The most remote and least-visited valleys of the park — such as the headwaters of the Pigüeña and Somiedo rivers — are its preferred refuges, especially during the months of peak tourist activity.

Diet

The Cantabrian brown bear is fundamentally herbivorous: more than 85% of its annual diet consists of plant matter. In spring it exploits tender shoots of grasses, herbaceous plants and bulbous species. In summer and autumn it actively seeks wild fruits — bilberries (Vaccinium myrtillus), raspberries, cherries, blackberries, acorns and chestnuts — which allow it to build up the fat reserves needed to survive winter. It supplements its diet with insects, larvae, wild bees' honey, carrion and, occasionally, small to medium-sized mammals. Its ability to climb fruit trees — especially cherry and hazel — in search of food is well known to the villages surrounding the park.

Reproduction and Hibernation

The mating season takes place in May and June. Embryo implantation is delayed until autumn, coinciding with the onset of hibernation. Cubs — known locally in Asturias as esbardos — are born in the middle of hibernation, between January and February, inside the den: a natural cavity or excavation among rocks where the mother has been sheltering since October or November. A litter normally consists of 1 to 3 cubs, which remain with the mother for eighteen months to two years, learning from her how to find food and navigate the territory. Females do not breed every year: the interval between litters is 2 to 3 years.

Conservation Status

The Cantabrian brown bear was on the brink of extinction in the mid-20th century, with as few as 50–70 individuals. Thanks to protection measures introduced from the 1980s onwards and the work of organisations such as the Fundación Oso Pardo, the population has recovered significantly. The latest estimates put the total at more than 300 individuals across the Cantabrian range, distributed between two nuclei: a western one (the largest, which includes Somiedo) and an eastern one. The species is listed as "Endangered" in the Spanish National Catalogue of Threatened Species. Its main current threats are habitat fragmentation, road kills, poaching and conflicts with extensive livestock farming.

Signs of Bear Presence

• Tracks: strikingly large, showing five toes with claw marks. The front paw print is 10–14 cm wide; the hind print, more elongated, measures 10–16 cm in length — comparable in shape to a human footprint.
• Droppings: large and variable in shape depending on the diet. In autumn they are full of fruit remains (skins, seeds); in summer they contain grass and insect elytra.
• Claw marks on trees: parallel linear scratches 1–1.8 m above the ground, especially on beech and oak, used for territorial marking.
• Excavated anthills and overturned stones: the bear digs up anthills and flips rocks and rotting logs to access larvae and insects.
• Damaged fruit trees: broken branches or stripped bark on cherry and hazel trees in villages surrounding the park.

Where and When to Spot the Bear in Somiedo?

Spotting a bear in Somiedo is always an exceptional event requiring patience and absolute respect for the animal. The best periods are spring (April–June), when females with cubs descend to lower areas to feed on the first new growth, and late summer and autumn (August–October), when bears engage in hyperphagia — massive fruit consumption to build up reserves ahead of hibernation. Dawn and dusk are the most active times. Observe from a distance using binoculars or a spotting scope, without approaching or making noise, and retreat quietly if the animal detects your presence.