Do Grizzly Bear and Polar Bear Hybrids Exist in Nature? All About "Pizzlies" and "Grolars"

With the climate crisis causing a horribly dire plight for polar bears, the areas in which they may be naturally spotted are changing. Similarly, hunters have decimated grizzly bear populations in areas where they once thrived, and trophy hunters continue to seek out bears for the sadistic thrill of it.

With the natural habitats of both grizzly and polar bears rapidly shrinking, many wonder if their paths would or have ever crossed in nature, creating hybrid "pizzly" bears. Keep reading to discover more about if such a hybrid bear is possible — and why it matters.

Yes, polar and grizzly bears have produced offspring at some point in recent history, but it is nevertheless extraordinarily rare.

According to Polar Bears International, a study published by researchers in June 2024 detailed analyses of more than 800 combined polar and grizzly bears. The study confirms that across the teams' historical research, just eight known "grolar bears" (or "pizzly bears") exist.

The study's co-author, Evan Richardson, noted that polar bears evolved from grizzlies. Of the 819 bears studied, just 1 percent are actual hybrids. 

It wasn't until 2006 that the polar-grizzly hybrid appeared, per Polar Bears International, which supports the assertion that the ongoing climate crisis is causing bears from different regions to, at times, appear in unforeseen and unpredictable areas. 

Curiously, the terms "grolar bear" and "pizzly bear" are not interchangeable. Per Polar Bears International, a grolar bear is used when the hybrid bear's father is a grizzly, whereas a pizzly bear is a resulting hybrid when the father is a polar bear.

All hybrids identified in the study are "grolar bears," suggesting all eight hybrids descended from one single female polar bear who was born in 1989 and mated with two grizzly bears to birth four hybrid bears, according to CBC News.

Then, per BBC Wildlife Magazine, one of the female polar bear's female cubs proceeded to mate with male grizzly bears, one of whom was her father, and gave birth to four more hybrid bears.

According to the U.S. Library of Congress, the largest bear species on the planet is the polar bear. However, per the source, a Kodiak bear is likewise considered bigger in other respects.

The heaviest recorded Kodiak bear outweighs the heaviest recorded polar bear, and the average length of the Kodiak bear may exceed the greatest length of the polar bear. However, the average weight of the polar bear dwarfs the Kodiak bear, per the Library of Congress.

While grizzly bears are considered a subspecies of brown bears, Kodiak bears are a distinct, separate subspecies of the brown bear as well, per the National Park Service. Ocean Action Hub affirms that polar bears are larger than grizzlies, both in length and weight.