Knowing the difference between a black bear and a grizzly

If you’re out hiking in bear country it’s important to know what kinds of bears you might encounter and how to act on the off chance that you actually do run into a bear. You can use the same tactics to try to avoid different types of bears, but if you actually have a close encounter with a bear the way you should act depends on the type of bear you’re up against. So, in this post I’m going to point out some of the ways you can discern the difference between black bears and grizzly bears.

The easiest way to identify a grizzly bear is by the large shoulder hump just behind its head. Black bears lack the muscular hump characteristic of grizzlies. There are other differences between the two species of bears, but I would definitely say this is the easiest way to differentiate between the black bear and grizzly.

The claws are another way the bears differ. Black bear claws are curved and are generally around an inch and a half long. Grizzly bear claws are typically straighter and twice as long. When looking at a bear’s paws you can see another difference. Black bears have more space between their toes and they curve along the front of their paws. Grizzlies have less space between their toes and their toes form more of a straight line in the front of their paws. Grizzly paws are typically larger, too.

There are a couple of ways that a bears head can give away the kind of bear they are. First, there’s the look of the face itself. A black bear normally has a straight face profile, meaning a straight line connects its eyes to its nose. A grizzly’s face slopes inward or has kind of a dished look to it between its eyes and nose.

Second, the ears can be another giveaway. Grizzlies generally have short round ears. Black bear ears are normally taller and come to more of a point. This is generally the case, but I would probably base more of my decision on the profile of the bear’s face and if it has a hump or not.

From Alberta Environment and Parks

The average grizzly bear weighs considerably more than a black bear, but the size is still not an easy way to tell the two apart. That’s because if you only get a quick look at a bear or it’s from afar you probably won’t be able to tell if it’s a male, female, or an adolescent. Depending on the sex and age of a bear its weight can vary considerably.

Many people also think you can determine the type of bear it is by its color. After all, you would think a black bear has that name for a reason. However, both grizzlies and black bears can range in color from blonde to black. So, I’m afraid color is not going to work. However, if you are in the arctic and you see an enormous white bear, it’s safe to say you’ve spotted a polar bear. Those are the largest land carnivores in the world, so don’t get too close.

So, while color and size won’t necessarily tell you what type of bear you’re looking at, there are a few effective ways to do so. Between spotting a shoulder hump or lack of hump, the facial profile, ears, and claws you should be able to determine if you’re looking at a grizzly bear or a black bear. Grizzlies make a nice wildlife sighting from afar, but if you happen to come across a bear at a fairly short distance away I hope it will be a black bear for your sake.