There are three types of bears, or species, in North America. The three types of bears vary in their diet and demographics but all of them are omnivores, eating both animals and plants.

The most common is the American black bear (Ursus americanus). Unfortunately named, the black bear can be various shades of black, white and brown. This species is found in all provinces and territories in Canada except Prince Edward Island, and black bears are found in 40 of the 50 United States. There are between 600,000 and 900,000 black bears throughout N.A.

The grizzly or brown bear (Ursus arctos), is found in British Columbia, Alberta, the Yukon and Northwest territories as well as in the states of Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Alaska. Coastal versions of this species are often called brown or Kodiak bears, while the smaller inland variety is often called the “grizzly” bear on account of its “grizzled” appearance. All are members of the same species, though some biologists suggest that the brown bears on Kodiak Island in Alaska have been isolated long enough to be considered a separate subspecies (Ursus arctos middendorffi).

Due to the lack of human development in its remote Arctic habitat, the polar bear (Ursus maritimus) retains more of its original habitat than any other remaining large carnivore. Approximately 25,000 polar bears live in the northern regions of Canada, Alaska, Russia, Norway and Greenland. The global polar bear population, estimated to be 26,000 bears, is relatively stable. However, in 2006 the World Conservation Union (IUCN) upgraded the polar bear from a species of “least concern” to a “vulnerable” species. The main threats to polar bears are climate change and human-caused mortality

Black and grizzly bears are the mostly likely species that you will encounter. Both species share many of the same behavioural characteristics, but there are also some major differences that will affect how each species reacts to people in different situations. Understanding bear behaviours is essential to preventing and managing potential human-bear conflicts and encounters.

This map to the left, courtesy of geology.com, shows areas of North America in which black bears, grizzly bears, and polar bears are present.

You can see there are several areas of overlap between 2-3 of the species.