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Grand Teton National Park & John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway Black Bear with mountain ash berries, photo by Rebecca Wiles
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Grand Teton National Park & John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway
Black Bear or Grizzly Bear?

WHAT KIND OF BEAR DID YOU SEE? Both grizzly bears and black bears live in the park and parkway. Color is misleading - both species can vary from blonde-black. Watch our video podcast to test your knowledge.

If you see a bear, please report it to the nearest visitor center or ranger station. Bear Sighting and Incident Report

 
Black Bear Illustration

BLACK BEAR Ursus americanus

  • No distinctive shoulder hump
  • Face profile is straight from nose to tip of ears
  • Ears are tall and pointed
  • Front claws are short and curved (1"-2" long)

Learn more: Wikipedia>American Black Bear

 
Grizzly bear illustration

GRIZZLY BEAR Ursus arctos horribilis

  • Distinctive shoulder hump
  • Face profile appears dished in
  • Ears are short and rounded
  • Front claws are long and less curved (2"-4" long)

Learn more: Wikipedia>Grizzly Bear

 

For annual briefs with updated wildlife status information visit the Greater Yellowstone Science and Learning Center.

To purchase books about bears or other wildlife, please visit the Grand Teton Association.

2009 WILDLIFE BRIEFS

Bear research update
Effects of the pathway on black bears
Grizzly bear status
Human-bear interface
Wildlife Brigade

Return to Bear Safety Home>>

Never approach a bear.
Never feed a bear.
Stay 100 yards (1 football field) from bears at all times.

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Mt. Moran in July

Did You Know?
Did you know that the black stripe, or dike, on the face of Mount Moran is 150 feet wide and extends six or seven miles westward? The black dike was once molten magma that squeezed into a crack when the rocks were deep underground, and has since been lifted skyward by movement on the Teton fault.
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Last Updated: November 29, 2011 at 11:56 MST