The grizzly bear and the black bear overlap terrain quite often. The black prefers heavily forested areas but adapt easily to open terrain. The grizzly has mostly been relegated to the open terrain and because of that has had to learn to stand and face predators rather than running and hiding. This is one reason the grizzly is known to be a more aggressive bear than the black bear.
Both bears like to eat the same things. They eat what you and I eat and much more – plant material, insects, fish and carrion (dead of decaying fish and meat).
Both animals can become accustomed to man, as is witnessed in the National Parks where bears will seek man out looking for food. Because of the aggressive nature of the grizzly, he is more wary of man and we often here of grizzly attacks on humans trying to get close to the animal – not a suggested tactic for tourists.
The differences of the two animals may be in their hibernating habits, age at which they reach sexual maturity and habitat range. The grizzly usually heads for high elevations where the snow is deep. This aides in providing warmth and protection. The black bear hibernates around their regular terrain under blow-downs or brush piles.
The female bears of both species, have their offspring during hibernation – generally 2 cubs but sometimes as many as six. We know that the female grizzly will not give birth to cubs if she has not had ample food prior to hibernation to amass stored fat – natures way of protecting both the newborns and the mother. I haven’t found where this also occurs with a black bear. I assume it does.
Here is one difference that could affect reproduction numbers. The grizzly bear reaches sexual maturity between 4 1/2 and 5 1/2 years – longer if food and nutrition is sparse. The black bear reaches maturity in 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 years. Depending upon the average life span of each of the bears, this could influence how well the bears reproduce.
The adult male grizzly ranges between 600 and 1000 square miles. The male black bear is around 200. This too could play an important role in the diminishing number of bears if the room to roam is drastically reduced.
Although none of this information gives me a definitive answer to my question, it does tell me there are some differences between the two animals and many similarities.
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