Black Bear Biology:  What's Under All That Fur?

Physical Appearance      Paws, Claws & Tracks      Size      Skulls & Humps     Bear Senses      Bear Abilities      Life Cycle

Black Bear Skulls & Snouts

• The skulls of Black Bears and Grizzly Bears are shaped quite differently
  • Heads of Black Bears are broad and have a straight face with a long snout 
  • Grizzlies, on the other hand, have a dish-shaped face

Click to learn more about the Black Bear Skulls 

Reproduced With Permission of Min. Public Works & Gov. Services Canada, 2003

Black Bear Shoulders and Humps

Source: NA Bear Center

•   A hump is a mass of muscle on the back that powers the forelegs.
•   The backs of Black Bears and Grizzly Bears are quite different:
  • Black Bears do not have a noticeable shoulder hump
  • Grizzlies, on the other hand, have a very prominent shoulder hump between their shoulders

Do You Know Your Bears?

• You can't tell bears apart by just their colour, you know:
  • Grizzly bears are usually brown, but come in a variety of colours including blond and black
  • Black bears are most often black with white chest marks, but come in a variety of colours including brown, cinnamon, white and blue

Source: Bears In BC - Hinterland

Check out a Comparison of Grizzly and Black Bears