Know the Difference

Black bears and grizzly bears are difficult to differentiate based on size and color. For instance, grizzlies may be pale—almost luminous blond, or reddish blond, light brown, darker brown, or almost black. To add to the confusion, the common name grizzly is derived from the term ”grizzled,” which refers to white-tipped hair. Grizzled hair occurs mainly on the back and shoulders; thus, from a distance, a grizzly bear appears to have darker legs and lighter upper parts. And to complicate matters just a bit more, black bears, despite their name, are not always black. They can also be brown, cinnamon, blond, or a combination of light and dark hair. Although grizzly bears are, on average, significantly larger than black bears, size is not a good indicator of which species is which. Every year, black bear hunters kill several grizzly bears by mistake, which can have dire consequences for local grizzly bear populations.

Not all black bears are black and not all grizzlies are “grizzled.”

Despite the names grizzly and black, coat color is the least reliable characteristic for identifying bears. For instance, grizzlies may be pale—almost luminous blond, or reddish blond, light brown, darker brown, or almost black. To add to the confusion, the common name grizzly is derived from the term ”grizzled,” which refers to white-tipped hair. Grizzled hair occurs mainly on the back and shoulders; thus, from a distance, a grizzly bear appears to have darker legs and lighter upper parts. And to complicate matters just a bit more, black bears, despite their name, are not always black. They can also be brown, cinnamon, blond, or a combination of light and dark hair. Kermode/Spirit/Ghost bears, found in Northwestern BC, Canada, can be white.

typical grizzly coat with lighter collar

brown phase black bear with white chest patch

cinnamon phase black bear with fuzzy coat

Just like color, body size is also not a reliable indicator for identifying bears. Most people tend to overestimate the weight and size of bears. A typical adult female grizzly weighs 200-350 pounds and adult males weigh 300-650 pounds. An adult black bear, which can easily weigh 200-300 pounds, may not only weigh the same as a female grizzly but also be about the same height (3–3½ feet at the shoulder). Then too, an adult male black bear will be much heavier and taller than a young grizzly. And just in case it isn’t difficult enough yet, try to imagine yourself distinguishing a juvenile dark-haired grizzly from an adult cinnamon-colored black bear in the dim light of an early morning or the long dusky shadows of an early fall evening. Even under the best of conditions you’ll find it’s nearly impossible to judge the size and weight of a bear in the wild. Other characteristics such as diet, behavior, and habitat use are even less reliable because black bears and grizzly eat similar food, display similar behaviors, and occupy much of the same areas in some provinces and states.

young grizzly bears are tough to ID; this grizzly is much smaller than an adult black bear

sub-adult (adolescent) grizzly bear who is smaller than most adult black bears

large black bear who is bigger than many grizzlies, especially females and younger ones

very heavy black bear larger than many grizzlies

Grizzly bears have well-developed shoulder muscles for digging and turning over rocks. These muscles appear as a prominent shoulder hump between the front shoulders, which is visible in profile. Black bears have no shoulder hump. A black bear’s highest point, when it’s on all fours, is the middle of the back or the rear, depending on how the bear is standing.

grizzly bear – shoulder hump = highest point

grizzly bear – hump not as prominent, but still highest point on body

black bear – no shoulder hump; wind is blowing up shoulder fur

black bear – because the bear is standing on a slope the rump doesn’t necessarly look like the highest point, but there is no shoulder hump

A grizzly typically has a concave or dish shaped profile that extends from between its eyes to the end of its nose. A black bear normally has a fairly straight profile from forehead to nose tip. A grizzly’s muzzle is broader and more prominent; their eyes appear closer together and deeper set. Black bears look more dog-like and have flatter, shorter fur. Grizzlies appear to have longer, fuzzier looking fur, especially on the face.

grizzly bear – prominent snout with blunt tip and deep set eyes

grizzly bear – dishshaped side profile

black bear – eyes set further apart, less prominent snout

black bear – straight facial profile

Grizzly bears have smaller, more rounded ears (in proportion to their head size), that are much fuzzier looking (the fur is longer). Whereas the ears of a black bear appear larger, longer, more erect, and pointed. As seen below, you will have to take into account, whether the angle at which you are looking at the bear. If the grizzly bear has been swimming, his/her ears will appear bigger relative to the wet head.

grizzly bear – ears appear larger (head fur is wet)

black bear – ears can appear smaller because of angle of view

Long claws on the front paws are also a good way to differentiate a grizzly from a black bear. For obvious reasons, this method has its limitations! Grizzly bears have gently curved, often light-colored, two- to four-inch-long claws adapted for digging roots and excavating a winter den or small prey. The claws of an adult grizzly can be longer than a person’s finger. Black bears have shorter, more sharply curved, dark claws that are often much less than two inches long. These claws are well adapted for climbing trees and tearing into rotten logs in search of insects.

Compared to a black bear’s tracks, grizzly tracks of the front feet are squarer. If you take a straight edge and hold it across the track of a grizzly front foot, just in front of the pad and behind the toe on either side, it will not cross the toe on the other side of the foot. A black bear front track is more rounded and a straight edge will cross the toe on the other side of the foot.

For more information about the world’s eight bear species, including black bears and grizzly bears, visit the website of the International Association for Bear Research & Management.