Grizzly Bear

Swimming grizzly bear
Tagged grizzly bear swimming in the Yellowstone River. Many of Yellowstone's animals are tagged or collared for research or management purposes.

According to the 2025 Resources and Issues Handbook, there are approximately 150-200 grizzly bears in Yellowstone National Park at any given time. Grizzly bears are one of two types of bears in the Park. Numerous black bears join them. Grizzly adult male bears weigh 200 - 700 pounds, while the female bears weigh 200 - 400 pounds. The Ursus arctos horribilis (grizzly) is bigger than the black bear, Ursus americanus. Both species of bears can live 15 to 30 years.

How can you identify a grizzly bear? Grizzlies have a shoulder hump, and their rump is lower than their shoulder. Their hump is composed of pure muscle, used to dig up roots, tubers, and turn over logs or boulders. Their face has a dished-in profile, with a depression between their eyes and the end of the nose. A grizzly bear's ears are short and rounded.

Grizzly bears' color can range from blond to black. They often have pale-tipped guard hairs.

Grizzly family walking towards the road.
This mother grizzly with her twin yearlings was in the meadow along the Grand Loop Road between Norris and Mammoth Hot Springs, south of Bunsen Peak Trail. We watched them as they wandered about 1/2 mile from the ridge to within 15 feet of the road. After sitting there for 15 minutes, they reversed course and retraced their steps.
Grizzly scratching at ground covered with snow.
Grizzlies are omnivores, but 80% of their diet is plant-based.

Females may deliver one to three, and occasionally four, cubs in January or February. Did you know that the mother starts hibernation and awakens to 2-month-old cubs? The female doesn't normally arouse during delivery.

Grizzly cubs stay with their mothers for two winters after their birth year before she chases them off, at which time she will mate again. Male grizzlies, called boars, will try to kill a female's offspring that aren't his. That way, she will go into heat again, and he can mate with her to produce his offspring.

How fast can a grizzly bear run? What do you think, 5, 10, 15, or 45 miles per hour? Consider the question and review the answer below.

Research done in 2006 by Montana State University showed that boars have 2.5-5 times the strength of humans.

While in Yellowstone, you can often see the same bear(s) in the same general area at about the same time day after day. People frequently park in the general area for hours, hoping to get pictures of the bears.

Always remember that bears are wild animals and will viciously protect their cubs and food. Before moving into bear country, ensure you know how to act for your safety and avoid disturbing the bear(s).

People seem to forget that Yellowstone and all the National Parks' animals are wild. Respect grizzly bears for the danger they pose to people and property. We need to remember that the bears are in their natural habitat; we are guests in their territory. We need to act as guests. Give them room, respect their personal space, respect that they can outrun you, and respect that one swipe of a grizzly's paw can introduce you to the afterlife.

Grizzly bear on the beach of Yellowstone Lake.
This grizzly was up the hill when I started taking pictures. He soon decided he was interested in having a beach day. My position and his path, well, let's say this photographer quickly loaded thousands of dollars' worth of camera gear into the car and climbed in after it. That is Yellowstone Lake behind the bear.

Answer to the above question. Grizzlies are known to be agile and can run at speeds of up to 40 mph. What do you think? Could you stay ahead of the bear in a foot race?

Many people have asked the rangers if they have a picture of a grizzly or black bear as they show the ranger their camera screen. To learn how to distinguish between them, check out this page.

Below the picture carousel, follow the links to the different animals featured on this site.

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