For 27 years, Jackson Hole's Grizzly 399 has been strolling into history by bucking the system of trends indicative of bear behavior. Unbeknownst to her, she’s become the most famous living wild bear on earth. First, 399 is the oldest studied grizzly bear in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. She’s followed by as many as 40 wildlife photographers, and even has her own Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts. Born in 1996, 399 is 27 years old, 6 years past the typical lifespan of a grizzly bear. She weighs almost 400 pounds and when standing on her hind legs is 7 feet tall. In her lifetime, she has given birth to 22 cubs, 4 of them when she was 24. That would be like a human mother giving birth to a baby at the age of 96! Another oddity that 399 has displayed is giving birth to triplets, while the most other grizzles have had is twins. Unlike the typical grizzly, 399 lives in close proximity to humans, preferring to be near them for protection after a cub was killed by a male grizzly. Despite at least two known encounters, 399 has never killed a human. Fortunately for 399, her fame has kept her from being killed by hunters.
