I still think grizzly is more likely though I am willing to be wrong and I invite you to share your opinion in a comment. However, there was disagreement about them in online discussion, and that forced me to inspect them very carefully, much as the curious young ursid in the lead photo inspected our camera trap. I chose three sets of front and hind tracks that were especially clear, and taking careful measurements, I identify them as grizzly with a reasonable degree of certainty. The large oval track in each pair is the hind track the other is the front. A trail of bear tracks in an overstep walk pattern, found in Montana. ![]() An overstep walk is the perfect opportunity for careful analysis because the hind and front tracks land in separate spots so that they do not obscure each other. Recently I found this lovely trail of tracks – our mystery bear tracks – in an overstep walk pattern in wet snow in Montana. There may even be inconsistencies between tracks of the same animal within the same trail due to subtle differences in substrate. The nature of the substrate, aging of the tracks, and individual variation in foot anatomy, can make one or another track feature unreliable. I’ve learned from experience that relying on one feature – tempting though it may be – is a common cause of error. The tracks of the two species are even more easily confused, and I have found that the best approach in distinguishing grizzly vs black bear tracks is to examine multiple features of multiple tracks. But outside the parks, where animals are more cautious, you’re more likely to see just the tracks. In a national park where animals are habituated to human viewers, you’re probably more likely to observe the actual animal than its tracks. ![]() ![]() Black bears ( Ursus americanus) currently range more widely than grizzlies ( Ursus arctos) in the lower 48, but where both species roam they are sometimes confused.
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