1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:04,320 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:06,160 --> 00:00:09,039 Speaker 1: Hey brain Stuff. Lauren Vogel bum here with today's question, 3 00:00:09,960 --> 00:00:13,800 Speaker 1: what's the difference between black bears and brown bears? The 4 00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:18,200 Speaker 1: animals we call black bears belong to the species Ursus americanas. 5 00:00:18,720 --> 00:00:22,480 Speaker 1: Despite their common name, they can be black, brown, gray, whitish, 6 00:00:22,600 --> 00:00:26,840 Speaker 1: or even blonde in color. Another bear that coexists with 7 00:00:26,880 --> 00:00:30,200 Speaker 1: it is a separate species known as Ursus arctos, or 8 00:00:30,400 --> 00:00:33,959 Speaker 1: the brown bear. If you're confused, don't worry. We are 9 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:39,240 Speaker 1: here to clear things up. Just bear with us. You'll 10 00:00:39,280 --> 00:00:42,879 Speaker 1: never see a wild black bear outside of North America, 11 00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:46,760 Speaker 1: even though it's the most populous bear species alive today, 12 00:00:46,920 --> 00:00:50,120 Speaker 1: with an estimated eight hundred thousand animals. The black bear 13 00:00:50,240 --> 00:00:55,200 Speaker 1: is restricted to Canada, Mexico, Alaska, and the continental United States. 14 00:00:56,440 --> 00:00:59,320 Speaker 1: Brown bears are less common in terms of sheer numbers, 15 00:00:59,480 --> 00:01:02,160 Speaker 1: only about a hundred and ten thousand are thought to exist, 16 00:01:02,880 --> 00:01:06,200 Speaker 1: but they've got the widest geographic range of any modern 17 00:01:06,280 --> 00:01:10,520 Speaker 1: ur said indigenous to both North America and Eurasia, wild 18 00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:14,959 Speaker 1: brown bear populations are dispersed from Spain to Central Canada, 19 00:01:15,120 --> 00:01:18,360 Speaker 1: and one extinct subspecies lived in Africa as recently as 20 00:01:18,400 --> 00:01:24,479 Speaker 1: the nineteen seventies. Brown bears have subspecies galore. If you've 21 00:01:24,480 --> 00:01:28,040 Speaker 1: ever been to Yellowstone National Park or followed Memphis basketball, 22 00:01:28,319 --> 00:01:30,200 Speaker 1: you should be familiar with at least one of them. 23 00:01:30,360 --> 00:01:37,240 Speaker 1: The iconic grizzly bear scientific name Ursus arctos horribilious. Grizzlies 24 00:01:37,319 --> 00:01:40,080 Speaker 1: once roamed a huge chunk of the North American continent. 25 00:01:40,680 --> 00:01:44,240 Speaker 1: Due to human activities, however, they've become restricted to Alaska 26 00:01:44,319 --> 00:01:48,760 Speaker 1: and northwestern Canada, along with portions of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, 27 00:01:48,800 --> 00:01:52,919 Speaker 1: and Washington State. Neither brown nor black bears are listed 28 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:56,120 Speaker 1: by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as endangered 29 00:01:56,200 --> 00:02:00,640 Speaker 1: or threatened. Grizzlies nevertheless enjoy some federal action under the 30 00:02:00,720 --> 00:02:05,680 Speaker 1: US Endangered Species Act as of this writing. Another brown 31 00:02:05,680 --> 00:02:10,200 Speaker 1: bear subspecies encountered in this hemisphere is Ursus arctos mindorfi, 32 00:02:10,639 --> 00:02:15,760 Speaker 1: the Kodiak bear. Found exclusively on Alaska's Kodiak Archipelago. It's 33 00:02:15,800 --> 00:02:18,160 Speaker 1: one of the biggest predators that now walks the Earth. 34 00:02:18,720 --> 00:02:21,360 Speaker 1: They're large enough to sometimes rival the polar bear in 35 00:02:21,440 --> 00:02:25,720 Speaker 1: size weights of one thousand, sixty to one thousand, one 36 00:02:25,760 --> 00:02:28,840 Speaker 1: hundred eighty pounds that's about four hundred and eighty to 37 00:02:29,040 --> 00:02:32,360 Speaker 1: five hundred and thirty five kilos are considered normal for 38 00:02:32,480 --> 00:02:37,119 Speaker 1: male Kodiak bears. Grizzly males are a little slimmer, averaging 39 00:02:37,160 --> 00:02:40,040 Speaker 1: between three hundred and eight hundred and sixty pounds that's 40 00:02:40,040 --> 00:02:42,919 Speaker 1: about a hundred thirty five to three d nine kilos. 41 00:02:43,720 --> 00:02:47,600 Speaker 1: In both cases, females or sALS belong to a different 42 00:02:47,639 --> 00:02:51,760 Speaker 1: size class. Your typical kodiak sow is around twenty lighter 43 00:02:51,919 --> 00:02:56,120 Speaker 1: and thirty smaller dimension wise than a normal male. Grizzlies 44 00:02:56,160 --> 00:03:00,799 Speaker 1: have a similar disparity. Standing on all four a grown 45 00:03:00,919 --> 00:03:03,400 Speaker 1: male brown bear can measure five feet that's one and 46 00:03:03,400 --> 00:03:05,880 Speaker 1: a half meters tall at the shoulder, and when they 47 00:03:05,880 --> 00:03:09,120 Speaker 1: rear up, the biggest individuals can assume a towering height 48 00:03:09,160 --> 00:03:13,760 Speaker 1: of ten feet or three meters. Black bears can't compete 49 00:03:13,760 --> 00:03:17,320 Speaker 1: with those dimensions. Their maximum shoulder height is closer to 50 00:03:17,360 --> 00:03:19,640 Speaker 1: three feet or just shy of a meter, and they 51 00:03:19,680 --> 00:03:22,160 Speaker 1: stand a mere five to seven feet that's one and 52 00:03:22,200 --> 00:03:25,440 Speaker 1: a half to two meters tall. When fully reared. Male 53 00:03:25,480 --> 00:03:28,160 Speaker 1: black bears usually tip the scales at a hundred thirty 54 00:03:28,200 --> 00:03:31,799 Speaker 1: to five hundred pounds that's about sixty two thirty kilos, 55 00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:34,280 Speaker 1: where a sous way between fifty and two hundred and 56 00:03:34,320 --> 00:03:39,320 Speaker 1: fifty pounds, that's forty and ten kilos. Thankfully, you don't 57 00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:42,560 Speaker 1: need measuring tape or a Yogi bear sized bathroom scale 58 00:03:42,560 --> 00:03:47,200 Speaker 1: to tell black and brown bears apart. Brown bear shoulders 59 00:03:47,240 --> 00:03:51,160 Speaker 1: aren't just taller by comparison, they're also more prominent, giving 60 00:03:51,200 --> 00:03:54,960 Speaker 1: the creatures a distinctive hump when viewed in profile. It's 61 00:03:55,000 --> 00:03:58,800 Speaker 1: a feature that black bears lack. The black bear has straighter, 62 00:03:58,880 --> 00:04:03,280 Speaker 1: shorter claws the help it climb trees and tear up logs. Meanwhile, 63 00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:06,560 Speaker 1: the brown bears long and curvy claws make great digging tools. 64 00:04:08,120 --> 00:04:11,720 Speaker 1: They also leave some very different paw prints behind. Brown 65 00:04:11,840 --> 00:04:14,840 Speaker 1: bear four paws leave a wider gap between the toes 66 00:04:14,880 --> 00:04:18,479 Speaker 1: and the pad that sits behind them, and overall, black 67 00:04:18,480 --> 00:04:23,360 Speaker 1: bear pandprints look rounder a relative to its body size. 68 00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:26,760 Speaker 1: Black bears have longer ears, and the facial differences don't 69 00:04:26,760 --> 00:04:30,159 Speaker 1: stop there. If you were to somehow draw a line 70 00:04:30,279 --> 00:04:33,040 Speaker 1: from each bear's nose to the space between its eyes, 71 00:04:33,320 --> 00:04:36,400 Speaker 1: you'd find that brown bears have a more concave face. 72 00:04:37,839 --> 00:04:41,440 Speaker 1: They also have different living habits, whereas black bears climb 73 00:04:41,520 --> 00:04:44,600 Speaker 1: trees throughout their lives. Brown bears stop doing this when 74 00:04:44,640 --> 00:04:48,200 Speaker 1: they grow up. The two species are crafty omnivores who 75 00:04:48,160 --> 00:04:50,839 Speaker 1: will eat a wide range of plant and animal matter, 76 00:04:51,360 --> 00:04:54,520 Speaker 1: and sometimes this means competing for the same resources. A 77 00:04:54,560 --> 00:04:57,839 Speaker 1: British Columbian salmon are hunted by black and brown bears alike. 78 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:01,640 Speaker 1: Brown bears are a able to kill much larger game 79 00:05:01,880 --> 00:05:05,039 Speaker 1: than their cousins, though black bears can even be on 80 00:05:05,080 --> 00:05:09,440 Speaker 1: their menu. Of course, all of these things are best 81 00:05:09,480 --> 00:05:14,279 Speaker 1: observed from a nice, safe distance. Zoologists consider brown bears 82 00:05:14,320 --> 00:05:17,360 Speaker 1: to be the more aggressive species, but both animals can 83 00:05:17,440 --> 00:05:21,640 Speaker 1: maim and kill human beings. Wall attacks are statistically rare. 84 00:05:21,920 --> 00:05:24,640 Speaker 1: There's no reason to tempt fate by getting too close 85 00:05:24,680 --> 00:05:27,640 Speaker 1: to a wild ersin look up the U S. National 86 00:05:27,680 --> 00:05:30,760 Speaker 1: Park Service Safety Guide to bear encounters if you happen 87 00:05:30,800 --> 00:05:34,520 Speaker 1: to be planning to explore black or brown bears natural habitats. 88 00:05:39,960 --> 00:05:42,479 Speaker 1: Today's episode was based on the article What's the Difference 89 00:05:42,480 --> 00:05:44,360 Speaker 1: between a Brown bear and a Black Bear? On how 90 00:05:44,400 --> 00:05:47,600 Speaker 1: stuff Works dot Com written by Mark Vancini. Brain stuff 91 00:05:47,600 --> 00:05:49,600 Speaker 1: It's production of I Heart Radio in partnership with how 92 00:05:49,600 --> 00:05:51,840 Speaker 1: stuff Works dot Com and is produced by Tyler Clay 93 00:05:52,480 --> 00:05:55,000 Speaker 1: four more podcasts to my heart Radio, visit the iHeart 94 00:05:55,080 --> 00:05:57,800 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 95 00:05:57,839 --> 00:05:58,560 Speaker 1: favorite shows.