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

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

Source: Hinterland  

Grizzlies Have Specific Characteristics 

And these characteristics differentiate them from Black Bears

•  Paws

    Grizzly Bear feet are quite different than those of a Black Bear:

  • Tops:             Well furred black or brown in colour

  • Bottom:         Flat-soled making them plantigrade (walk flat-footed)

  • Pads:             Covered with wrinkled skin

  • Hind Feet:      Have five toes on the wider top of an oval pad 

  • Front Feet:     Have a small heel pad and a claw

Check out these Bear Cub Paw Prints

Compare your hand to a Grizzly's paw print

 Source: Look At Those Claws!

•  Claws

  The claws of Grizzly Bears are:

  • Much longer claws than black bears — and toes are close together in a straighter line (a Black Bear's toes form a more rounded arc) 

  • A Grizzly's front feet have a small heel pad

  • Grizzly bear claw marks are usually twice as long as their toe pads

Check out this site to see the difference between Black and Grizzly Bears

Tracks

   Grizzly Bears and humans have the same type of locomotion:

	It's called plantigrade
	We both walk flat on the foot/paw with our heel,  with sole and pads on the ground

Grizzly toes are all close together and nearly in a straight line:

	Toe pads are generally touching each other with the smallest toe on the inside
	Fore tracks measure approximately 13 cm long by 14 cm wide
	Hind tracks measure approximately 25 cm long by 14 cm wide NA Bear Center

Check out these bear tracks

Note the long claws & closely 
spaced toes of Grizzly (right)

Comparing Grizzly Bear & Black Bear Tracks

You can confuse Grizzlies with the brown-phase Black Bears in the interior of BC  ... but there are important differences: Black Bears leave different tracks Grizzly claws are much longer than a Black Bear's Grizzly toes are closer together forming almost a straight line The front of a Black Bear's footprint is more rounded and their toes form an arc... read more

Source:  Bears In BC - Hinterland - BC Government - Grizzly Bears In BC

Can You Tell Them Apart ...from their claws and tracks? 

Differentiating Paws

Front Claws and Tracks of Grizzlies compared to Black Bears

Grizzly Bear Index

Grizzly Bear Introduction
What Colour Are They?
What's Under All That Fur?
Grizzly Bears In Action
Grizzly Bear Activities
 To Black Bears ...