Bear

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Black Bears

Fit for the Forest: Although black is the most common color of this bear, fur color can range from light brown to dark brown and even grayish blue. Although adaptable, forests tend to be the black bear's favorite haunt. Its sharp claws are great tools for ripping open old logs in search of grubs and worms as well as for tree climbing.

A Varied Diet: A solitary, predominantly vegetarian creature, the black bear uses its keen sense of smell to search out fruit, nuts, berries and roots. However, this bear will also eat insects, honey, fish and small mammals when the opportunity arises.

The Bear Facts: It is an excellent tree climber, and despite its size, regularly ascends to the treetops to eat. The larger and more erect ears and the lack of a shoulder hump distinguish the black bear from the brown bear. Like most bears, the black bear hibernates in winter, which can last as long as six months in the more northern areas of its range.

DID YOU KNOW?

Ruled by Fear: Despite their size, black bears are extremely timid and have been observed fleeing from house cats, mallard ducks, moths and butterflies.

An Unnatural Enemy: Most black bears outside of national parks die because of humans and rarely of natural causes.

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Grizzly Bears

Brown or Grizzly?: The grizzly bear, sometimes known as the silver-tip bear, has traditionally been considered a subspecies of the brown bear, but this classification is in dispute.

Distinct Anatomy: A distinctive shoulder hump of muscle sets the grizzly apart from the black bear. Grizzly bears also have concave faces and famously long claws.

Colossal But Quick: The size of grizzly bears varies from range to range depending on the food supply. Adult males tip the scales at 850 pounds while females weigh in at a "diminutive" 450 pounds. A grizzly bear standing on its hind legs can be as tall as 7 feet. Their large size, however, does not slow them down. When these bears "put the pedal to the medal" they can reach speeds of 35 mph.

Unpicky Eaters: Grizzly bears are not picky eaters and will consume vegetation and animals, including grasses, roots, berries, fish, and small and large mammals. They also don't mind a bit of dumpster diving. This has lead to conflicts with humans.

DID YOU KNOW?

A Healthy Glutton: Researchers are very interested in the grizzly bear's ability to eat large amounts and store lots of fat for hibernation without suffering from heart disease or cholesterol problems.

Wolves vs. Grizzlies: A grizzly bear will challenge a pack of wolves for its kill, resulting in a game of cat and mouse as the wolves attempt to bait and and thwart the much larger predator.

Subordinate Behavior: A subordinate grizzly bear will move away, or sit or lie down, to avoid confrontation. It may also look the other way, perhaps yawning with feigned disinterest, to indicate it has no ill intentions.

Opportunity Strikes: The grizzly bear is an opportunistic feeder. When the opportunity strikes, it will even prey on large mammals, such as moose, elk, mountain goats and mountain sheep.

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The Black Bear

Black Bear Profile
Black bears are North America's most familiar and common bears. They typically live in forests and are excellent tree climbers, but are also found in mountains and swamps. Despite their name, black bears can be blue-gray or blue-black, brown, cinnamon, or even (very rarely) white.

Black bears are very opportunistic eaters. Most of their diet consists of grasses, roots, berries, and insects. They will also eat fish and mammals—including carrion—and easily develop a taste for human foods and garbage. Bears who become habituated to human food at campsites, cabins, or rural homes can become dangerous and are often killed—thus the frequet reminder: Please Don't Feed the Bears!

Solitary animals, black bears roam large territories, though they do not protect them from other bears. Males might wander a 15- to 80-square-mile (39- to 207-square-kilometer) home range.

When winter arrives, black bears spend the season dormant in their dens, feeding on body fat they have built up by eating ravenously all summer and fall. They make their dens in caves, burrows, brush piles, or other sheltered spots—sometimes even in tree holes high above the ground. Black bears den for various lengths of time governed by the diverse climates in which they live, from Canada to northern Mexico.

Female black bears give birth to two or three blind, helpless cubs in mid-winter and nurse them in the den until spring, when all emerge in search of food. The cubs will stay with their very protective mother for about two years.

Black Bear Range (In the yellow)

Fast Facts

Type: Mammal
Diet: Omnivore
Average lifespan in the wild: 20 years
Size: 5 to 6 ft (1.5 to 1.8 m) long
Weight: 200 to 600 lbs (90 to 270 kg)
Group name: Sleuth or Sloth
Did you know?: Black bears are not true hibernators. During their winter dormant period, though, they do not eat, drink, urinate, or defecate, but may wake up if disturbed.

Size relative to a 6-ft (2-m) man

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The Grizzly Bear

Grizzly Bear Profile
The grizzly bear is a North American subspecies of the brown bear.

These awe-inspiring giants tend to be solitary animals—with the exception of females and their cubs—but at times they do congregate. Dramatic gatherings of grizzly bears can be seen at prime Alaskan fishing spots when the salmon run upstream for summer spawning. In this season, dozens of bears may gather to feast on the fish, craving fats that will sustain them through the long winter ahead.

Brown bears dig dens for winter hibernation, often holing up in a suitable-looking hillside. Females give birth during this winter rest and their offspring are often twins.

Grizzly bears are powerful, top-of-the-food-chain predators, yet much of their diet consists of nuts, berries, fruit, leaves, and roots. Bears also eat other animals, from rodents to moose.

Grizzlies are typically brown, though their fur can appear to be white-tipped, or grizzled, lending them their traditional name.

Despite their impressive size, grizzlies are quite fast and have been clocked at 30 miles (48 kilometers) an hour. They can be dangerous to humans, particularly if surprised or if humans come between a mother and her cubs.

Grizzlies once lived in much of western North America and even roamed the Great Plains. European settlement gradually eliminated the bears from much of this range, and today only about 1,000 grizzlies remain in the continental U.S., where they are protected by law. Many grizzlies still roam the wilds of Canada and Alaska, where hunters pursue them as big game trophies.

Grizzly Bear Range (In the yellow)

Fast Facts

Type: Mammal
Diet: Omnivore
Average lifespan in the wild: 25 years
Size: 5 to 8 ft (1.5 to 2.5 m)
Weight: 800 lbs (363 kg)
Protection status: Threatened

Size relative to a 6-ft (2-m) man

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Credit:

Information © AnimalPlanet.com
Information & Pictures © NationalGeographic.com