How to Spot a Grizzly Bear

A solitary but dangerous mammal, the Grizzly bear is perhaps the best known and most feared of all three North American bears. At one time, there were 50,000 Grizzly bears in North America. Today, 1,000 to 1,200 exist in five distinct areas of the lower 48 states. An estimated 30,000 live in Alaska. Omnivores, they prefer small and large mammals, as well as fish, insects, roots, berries and grasses.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Recognize the Grizzly's habitats, which vary from dense forests to arctic tundra. In North America they live in western Canada, Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Washington and Wyoming.

2. Learn their active and dormant periods. Active in the morning and early evening, in daytime, they rest and escape the heat in densely covered beds. In late summer and fall, when preparing for hibernation, they tend to be active all day, increasing their normal territory in search of food.

3. Distinguish their physical characteristics. Grizzlies, unlike Black bears, have a pronounced hump on their shoulders. Their heads are round and large with concave faces. Coat colors range from brown, black and blond and are tipped with white or silver on their outer guard hairs.

4. Notice the bear's size, a mature Grizzly can weigh up to 1,150 lb. Females are smaller, typically weighing anywhere from 270 to 770 lb while males range from 330 to 1,150 lb. Typically, they reach six to seven feet in length and three to three-and-a-half feet at their shoulders.

5. Note the Grizzly bear's curved claws, which can be as long as a human finger. The claw's color ranges from brown to yellow and in rare cases white.

6. Study the bear tracks. Grizzly tracks exhibit an oval pad with five toes at the front of the hind foot. Their fore feet have smaller heel pads, with a dew claw. The front feet tracks measure 6 to 8 inches long, while back feet measure 12 to 16 inches long.

Tips & Warnings

• Grizzlies typically stay inland and avoid major bodies of water.
• In 1975, the Grizzly bear was declared a threatened species for the lower 48 states. In April 2007, the Yellowstone population was removed from the list. In Alaska they're considered game with appropriate regulations and limitations.
• Never approach a Grizzly bear under any circumstances. While solitary, cautious animals, their attacks are often fatal.