Yellowstone NP

3. Grizzly Bear

When black and grizzly bears are not fully grown, or when they are seen only briefly or at a distance, it's difficult to tell one from the other. Some things to observe are the shape of the bear's body and the shape of its face. If you're really brave, you can also observe differences in their claws and teeth!

An adult grizzly has a hump of muscle mass between its front shoulders, which is the highest part on its body when it is walking on all fours. Black bears do not have this hump, so if you see a bear on all fours and its rump is the highest point on its body, you are looking at a black bear. Also, the faces of adult grizzlies have a dished profile, while those of adult black bears have straight profiles.