# Difference between Grizzly and Brown bears **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 19, 2024, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-grizzly-and-brown-bears/997765 "2024-02-19T12:55:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![GrunthosTheFlatulent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grunthostheflatulent/32/21319_2.png) [@GrunthosTheFlatulent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrunthosTheFlatulent)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2024, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-grizzly-and-brown-bears/997765/21 "2024-02-20T02:09:05Z")
If it wasn’t a black bear or a grizzly (which never lived in Arkansas) then what species are you saying it was? Those are the only two bear species in the lower 48. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2024, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-grizzly-and-brown-bears/997765/22 "2024-02-20T02:09:58Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I still saw a brown bear. Do you understand there there is a difference between seeing a brown-colored American black bear, and seeing a Brown bear? It really sounds like you don’t. If you saw a white bear in your back yard, would you accept that it could be a mutant American black bear, and that it’s probably not a Polar bear (unless you live near a poorly run zoo)? > **[Kermode bear](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kermode_bear)** > > The Kermode bear, sometimes called the spirit bear (Ursus americanus kermodei), is a subspecies of the American black bear and lives in the Central and North Coast regions of British Columbia, Canada. It is the official provincial mammal of British Columbia and symbol of Terrace, British Columbia. While most Kermode bears are black, between 100 and 500 fully white individuals exist. The white variant is known as spirit bear, and is most common on three islands in British Columbia (Gr The Kermo... [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/Spiritbear.jpg) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/Spiritbear.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2024, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-grizzly-and-brown-bears/997765/23 "2024-02-20T02:37:40Z")
Without DNA I can make no knowledgeable statement. All I know is what I saw. Now, there’s this. The bear in this area have been described, in color as very black. I know many who have seen them. What I saw was brown. A outlier. Even the game warden with his brief sighting said, and I quote, “He’s very brown, isn’t he?”. But still said it was a juvenile black bear. Most likely male. Really, I know there’s a difference. Unless of course a bear broke out of the zoo. Not likely, of recent history. Or a very strayed out of its normal zones, bear who wished to travel. ETA: I give you the Ivory billed Woodpecker, thought extinct and found in Big woods of E.Arkansas. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2024, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-grizzly-and-brown-bears/997765/24 "2024-02-20T02:46:59Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > All I know is what I saw. I really don’t know what that is supposed to mean. Are you claiming that you “know” you saw a rogue Brown bear 1,500 miles away from its known range, that somehow nobody else has ever seen on its lonely trek from Montana? And that this is more likely than a brown-colored morph of the American black bear that is common in Arkansas? > **[Map of where bears live in North America](https://geology.com/stories/13/bear-areas/)** > > If you are hiking or camping in an area you aren't familiar with, it is a good idea to know if you might encounter a bear. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2024, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-grizzly-and-brown-bears/997765/25 "2024-02-20T02:50:38Z")
And then there’s Bigfoot long believed to be a resident of Boggy Creek, Fouke, Arkansas ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2024, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-grizzly-and-brown-bears/997765/26 "2024-02-20T02:51:48Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > And then there’s Bigfoot long believed to be a resident of Boggy Creek, Fouke, Arkansas So to be clear, since this is FQ, you are saying that your claim to have seen a Brown bear in Arkansas is similar to a claim to have seen Bigfoot? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2024, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-grizzly-and-brown-bears/997765/27 "2024-02-20T02:54:47Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > I really don’t know what that is supposed to mean. Are you claiming that you “know” you saw a rogue Brown bear 1,500 miles away from its known range, that somehow nobody else has ever seen on its lonely trek from Montana? And that this is more likely than a brown-colored morph of the American black bear that is common in Arkansas? How difficult is this to understand. She says she saw a “brown” bear, not a Brown bear. > [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Yet I saw a “brown” bear. With my own eyes. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2024, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-grizzly-and-brown-bears/997765/28 "2024-02-20T02:56:24Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > She says she saw a “brown” bear, not a Brown bear. Then why is it preceded by “yet” and followed by “with my own eyes”, when seeing a brown-colored Black bear would be entirely unremarkable. Why can’t she explain what she meant herself? If that is what she meant, why hasn’t she immediately confirmed it, something which would take a few seconds and one brief sentence, not several more ambiguous posts and commentary about Bigfoot. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2024, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-grizzly-and-brown-bears/997765/29 "2024-02-20T03:02:24Z")
Omg. Yes I saw a regular old Black bear. That ok Boo-boo? ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2024, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-grizzly-and-brown-bears/997765/30 "2024-02-20T03:08:47Z")
Y’all really need lighten up a little. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2024, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-grizzly-and-brown-bears/997765/31 "2024-02-20T03:11:42Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > Then why is it preceded by “yet” and followed by “with my own eyes”, when seeing a brown-colored Black bear would be entirely unremarkable. Why can’t she explain what she meant herself? If that is what she meant, why hasn’t she immediately confirmed it, something which would take a few seconds and one brief sentence, not commentary about Bigfoot. Why can’t you see the simple irony in a brown colored bear being called a Black bear? When I was a child this was considered a riddle: “What color is a Black bear?” and the answer “Black” would be countered with “Not when it’s brown”. Her post was quite clear. She saw a “brown” bear. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2024, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-grizzly-and-brown-bears/997765/32 "2024-02-20T04:39:31Z")
I’ve seen both red foxes and gray foxes in my backyard. Once i saw a red fox that was gray. Getting back to the OP, i had assumed that grizzly bears are a different color from other brown bears due to genetics. People don’t generally change hair color due to diet, nor do any other mammals I’m aware of. Size might be related to diet, though. At least, that seems to be true of humans. But yeah, “subspecies” is kinda like “race”. It might describe localized clusters of characteristics, but it’s not like it’s some absolute thing that you can draw clear lines around and make absolute statements about. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2024, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-grizzly-and-brown-bears/997765/33 "2024-02-20T04:56:14Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > But yeah, “subspecies” is kinda like “race”. A subspecies is at least formally defined. As you say, there is going to be fuzziness around the edges, because by definition all subspecies of a given species can interbreed, but there will be objective criteria by which you can usually assign an individual to a subspecies with reasonable certainty. Whereas “race” isn’t a formal taxonomic rank. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2024, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-grizzly-and-brown-bears/997765/34 "2024-02-20T04:59:48Z")
It isn’t now, but it used to be. Back 150 years ago or so, there were dozens of “races” defined, and there was “science” backing those definitions. I’ve read formal definitions of the “races of mankind” in an old dictionary, or all places. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2024, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-grizzly-and-brown-bears/997765/35 "2024-02-20T09:10:09Z")
**Moderator Note** > [@Riemann](#): > > Why can’t she explain what she meant herself? She made her intention pretty clear when she called it a “brown” bear (note the quotes). This sort of word play has always been allowed in FQ, as long as it is done after the question has been addressed factually, which it has. > [@Beckdawrek](#): > > That ok Boo-boo? Yogi Bear impression or not, this comes off as way too snarky for FQ. > [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Y’all really need lighten up a little. FQ is a very fact-oriented forum. If you see that folks missed the joke, it’s probably better to focus on the facts or at the very least, politely point out that they missed the joke. Telling people to “lighten up” is too confrontational for this forum. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2024, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-grizzly-and-brown-bears/997765/36 "2024-02-20T09:14:08Z")
Understood ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2024, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-grizzly-and-brown-bears/997765/37 "2024-02-21T01:45:30Z")
As it happens, today’s Science Times has an article on the difficulty of defining species that mentions that although brown bears and polar bears separated a half million years ago, they have undergone at least two periods with a lot on inbreeding and share 10% of their genetic material. Here is a link. The part about bears comes late. > **[What Is a Species, Anyway?](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/19/science/what-is-a-species.html?unlocked_article_code=1.XE0.Ej9H.dI-IXRKu7xBh&smid=url-share)** > > Some of the best known species on Earth may not be what they seem. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2024, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-grizzly-and-brown-bears/997765/38 "2024-02-21T12:31:17Z")
Ok, so which type to we run from and which type do we make ourselves “big” and make some noise at? I can never remember, and until I find a way to, I’ll likely take the wrong action when confronted and get et. mmm ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2024, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-grizzly-and-brown-bears/997765/39 "2024-02-21T13:35:08Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Ok, so which type to we run from and which type do we make ourselves “big” and make some noise at? If you wear bells on your clothes and carry pepper spray you don’t have to worry about Black bears. But if you see bear droppings with little bells in it that smells like pepper spray there are Grizzly bears in the area. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2024, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-grizzly-and-brown-bears/997765/40 "2024-02-21T13:42:36Z")
And remember, a grizzly bear won’t attack you if you carry a flashlight. …depending on how fast you carry the flashlight. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-grizzly-and-brown-bears/997765.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-grizzly-and-brown-bears/997765.md?page=3)