I have seen (and photographed) Grizzly Bears a number of times before, but never one with an obviously black coat. Everything about these bears said grizzly—body shape, face shape, ear shape—but, the colour was wrong.
Or so I thought. A quick check of various sources reveals that Grizzly Bears can range in shade from black to brown to cream. But, a black coat had been outside my experience.
Bears have made their seasonal return to the valley bottoms: my first Black Bear was seen two days ago; my first Grizzly Bear was yesterday. The latter sighting was particularly grand: a sow with two cubs.
Two distinctly black grizzly cubs were seen on a back road. I spotted them before they spotted me.
When they realized that they were not alone, one cub stood to sniff the air for the intruder.
Quickly, mother emerged from the brush and probably told her children that they were looking at a human—something best to avoid. At this, the family wandered back into the brush.
Very nice Alistair. I took a photo of two large black grizzly cubs but thought it was just the light. Once again I am enlightened, thanks.
Great photos, I would of been very confused seeing these Bears..
I see what you mean Alistair. They are definitely black. Very different from what I saw.