A grizzly bear is pictured on the left and a black bear on the right

By Justin Goulet

Call of the wild

Grizzly bears vs. black bears: what’s the difference? They’re both bruins

Apr 20, 2019 | 9:00 AM

WATERTON, AB – Bear season is upon us, so it’s important to be aware and know your surroundings to avoid a conflict with wildlife.

That’s according to Barb Johnston, a wildlife biologist for Waterton Lakes National Park. She said spring came a little early this year, which means are starting to come out of hibernation.

She said when it comes to distinguishing between a grizzly bear and black bear, it’s important to not just focus on the colour of the bear.

“Many people think that an animal that is black must be a black bear and if it’s brown it should be a grizzly bear. The truth is, both species have a wide range of colours, especially here in Waterton, a large number of our black bears are actually brown,” she said.

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Johnston noted that some black bears can range from being blonde to brown and to black, while grizzly bears can range from blonde to black.

She said people often fixate on the size of the animal to determine what species it is.

“Grizzly bears generally are larger than black bears, but a large female black bear is actually about the same size as a small grizzly bear,” _{– Wildlife biologist Barb Johnston}

“The best way you can tell them apart is by looking at the shape of their body, their head as well as their claws. Grizzly bears have a prominent hump – they do a lot of digging so they have a lot of musculature over their shoulders … generally their shoulders are higher than their back end.”

She said black bears do not have as prominent of a hump and their back-end is higher than their shoulders. She added that grizzlies’ heads are much larger and rounder, with a dished out, concave-like face while black bears have a mostly straight, elongated face, much like a dog.

“Grizzlies, because of their digging, have really long claws. They have long, curved claws that can be five or 10 centimetres long, whereas black bears have quite short black claws that are more for climbing trees, so you can tell in their tracks as well based on whether they have claws that are marked further out from their footpad, that’s a grizzly bear and if they’re close into their pad, that’s a black bear,” Johnston said.

Bears can be found across the country. Grizzly bears are historically a prairie animal, according to Johnston, but they now live more in mountainous areas of Western and Northern Canada.

BEHAVIOR

Johnston said the evolution of both species makes them behave differently. Grizzly bears are often more solitary and have a “personal space” that they maintain.

“So, their defense mechanism if they’re threatened is to stand their ground, or to be aggressive as opposed to a black bear, which is more of a forest creature. Their defense mechanism if they’re scared is to go up a tree,” she said.

Johnston said with either specie, it’s important to give them their space to decrease the risk of conflict in the wild. However, she did offer some tips if you were to encounter a bear while walking through trails.

“If you see one from a distance, your best note of action is to give it space, have a look and then back away and don’t approach the animal at all,” _{– Wildlife biologist Barb Johnston}

“If it’s close by, let it know that you’re a human, make some noise, clap your hands, and the best thing is a human voice so they know who you are and can identify you, and then just back away slowly.”

Johnston said crews at Waterton always recommend that people traveling in bear country carry and know how to use bear spray.

“If you need to, that’s your last form of defense, but your best approach is to keep your distance and respect their space,” she added.

“It’s also really important to keep your dog on a leash at all times because they can be an attractant to bears, so you don’t want a dog to go off into the woods, find a bear and bring it back to you.”

Johnston said as long as you give the bear space and show respect while in the wild, you shouldn’t encounter any issues.

“They’re out in the habitat and it’s one of the most amazing things to see when you come to a national park like Waterton, the opportunity to see wildlife like bears. Come with a good idea on how to behave if you do encounter one, but certainly, people don’t have to be scared.”

CAMPING TIPS

She added that Waterton has a program called Bear Campsite, which makes sure that campers do not have any attractants in their site to bring attention to bears.

“Anything that could smell or attract an animal – including a bear – like garbage, food, dishes, toiletries, any of those sorts of things should be in a bear-proof container. A vehicle is a great place to keep those things,” she said.

Parks Canada has released a video covering the differences between the two species. That video can be viewed below, courtesy of Canada TVC Collection on YouTube.