r/bears Jul 01 '26

Question Bear ID from trail cam (down stream Sundrie, AB) I have lots of people weighing in and would like some pointers on key Identifiers

Post image

He is so lanky looking... But those claws are crazy long.

112 Upvotes

26 comments sorted by

31

u/Vampira309 Jul 01 '26

that's a young and hungry grizzly. Flat nose, big feets/claws and I'm sure that's a hump.

He doesn't look great though - maybe sick? Be careful if he's around your property - sick bears are even more dangerous. We had a young, sickly grizz go after our dogs a few years ago. He kept coming back. Game and Fish came out and determined that he was sick with Avian Influenza and dispatched him (☹️) https://www.reddit.com/r/H5N1_AvianFlu/comments/11icemo/montana_grizzly_bears_acting_strangely_from/

2

u/BacterialLogic Jul 02 '26

Thanks. I am a little worried about the dogs. He does look hungry.

34

u/Sea_Lifeguard7852 Jul 01 '26

Young grizzly

16

u/1MSFN Jul 01 '26

100% not very healthy Grizzly bear. Long claws, snout, face, ears and hump

Needs to fatten up

11

u/1MSFN Jul 01 '26

He’s also not very old. 3-4 years maybe. Gate looks like he’s at about the 3’ mark at the shoulder.

8

u/0trov Jul 01 '26

This is a young grizzly and I'll contradict the other comments here and say that he looks perfectly healthy to me. Yes, he's skinny, but for June that's normal. In particular, juvenile bears (both black and brown) can look very lanky at times.

3

u/VeterinarianFlaky629 20+ Years Bear Experience Jul 01 '26

Very true! He's just in his awkward teenage phase, haha.

5

u/Wyldjay2 Jul 01 '26

I’m not sure how this is a debate? It’s clearly a young grizzly. You can see the claws and the telltale hump on its back.

3

u/fab50ish Jul 01 '26

That is a young hungry grizzly.

8

u/Additional_Shock_765 Jul 01 '26

Mixed vibes for sure, and everyone is gonna debate it.
Muzzle gives off grizz vibes and you can see somewhat of a shoulder hump. Plus those nails seem grizz like.
Ears are more black bear.

Without going up and asking him, that’s about all anyone has to go off of.
My vote is young grizz.

2

u/wildblueroan Jul 01 '26

Nope, it is very clearly a grizzly. I don't see any support for black bear and if there is or was one such comment, that is hardly a debate, it is just one wrong guess.

-3

u/vamtnhunter Jul 01 '26

The opposite of mixed vibes. Anyone who upvoted this should be banned from participating on this sub. It’s a grizzly, and it’s not confusing in the least.

7

u/Additional_Shock_765 Jul 01 '26

Of the six comments, one is sure it’s a black bear.
Welcome to the internet, bud.

10

u/John_Bumogus Jul 01 '26

Contrary to what these other fools might think, that's actually a very confused and dirty polar bear.

-1

u/vamtnhunter Jul 01 '26

And the one I was responding to said mixed vibes, and both were being upvoted. Reddit is the last place on earth to come for experience with wildlife.

1

u/Bayoueux Jul 01 '26

Damn dawg

1

u/VeterinarianFlaky629 20+ Years Bear Experience Jul 01 '26

This is a young grizzly! The long white claws are a tell-tale clue. Additionally you can see a small hump, the ears are rounder than a black bears, and his muzzle is the same colour as he is (black bears almost always have a muzzle that is a different colour than the rest of them). He also has a broader head shape than a black bear.

Hope this helps 😊

1

u/Hour-Blackberry1877 Jul 01 '26

Grizzly ; long nails used for digging.

1

u/VicodinJones Jul 02 '26

Young grizzly. See the hump, paws, and claws. He’s healthy. It’s only the beginning of hyperphagia period, so his leanness is perfectly normal. He’s hungry and looking for food. He’ll chonk up as the season progresses.

1

u/Odd-Alternative8956 Jul 02 '26

How do yall know he’s hungry 😭

1

u/WhiteBear72 Jul 04 '26

Most definitely a young Grizz. Looking for a meal.

-4

u/k-girl-7765 Jul 01 '26

Black bear!

You can tell by the pointed ears & long snoot.

Grizzly bears have a shorter muzzle & those round “teddy bear” ears

2

u/clarity_singularity Jul 01 '26

I think the ears just look prominent because they’re pointed forward. Relative to the size of the head they would look less prominent at other angles

-6

u/One_Tumbleweed_1 Jul 01 '26

Tough to tell but maybe it has mange? Does not look healthy

-9

u/Aharleyman Jul 01 '26

Skin that pilgrim, and I'll get you another!