OW IfOUR 



Grizzly Bear 



Front daw 



c 



2-4'loag Nj ^-rS^-- 



Dished Short, front trade 



bee rounded 



profik ^ ears ^^^^^^^ ^ump 



Long, light 

 claws 



General characteristics 



• Bears are intelligent, cunous, and have excellent 

 memories, especially about food sources. 



• Bears use their acute sense of smell for 



information about the world around them 



• Contrary to old tales, bears eyesight is good 

 Bears also have color vision 



• Like dogs bears hear high pitches Their hearing 

 is excdient. though less relied upon than their 

 sense of smell 



• Bears can nm downhiU and uphill a( speeds 

 exceeding 35 mph lasicr than OH-mpic sprinters 



• Standing up allows a bear to get more information 

 from its senses of smell, sight, and hearing. 



• Size body weight and color varies from habitat to 



Black Bear 



Front daw 



•9fi 



'h- 



Ifi'lOBg 



Straight Front tiadt 



£ace Taller 



profile eais 



I / No shoulder 



Food habits 



• Bears have plenty to eat' Do not feed bears! 



• Bears are omnivores In Yellowstone, their diet 

 includes insects rodents, fish, elk. moose bison, 

 plants, berries and roots 



• Food sources include; 



Spring: winter-killed elk and bison, elk cah/es, 

 ants grasses, clover, dandelion, and other plants 



- Summer: thistle, fireweed, bistort, mushrooms, roots 

 wild berries and spawning cuttfiroat trout are added 

 to their diet Toward fall bears will feed on dense 

 groups of moths in rocky high-elevation areas. 



- FalL white bark pine nuts, plants, berries, and 

 ants Bull elk and bison injured or killed in rutting 



mav al'uT be a foxl source 



Figure 5. Know your bears identification brochure. 



Habitat Requirements 



In general, grizzly habitat rec^uirements are determined by large spatial needs for omnivorous foraging, 

 winter denning, behavior, and security cover. Large roadless areas are ideal as year round grizzly 

 habitat. Roads can displace bears depending on tolerance of the bear. Furthermore, roads can also 

 increase mortality risk if humans who kill bears use such roads. However, grizzly bears can and do 

 survive in roaded areas if tolerance for their presence is high. Home ranges must include a number of 



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