Black Bear vs Grizzly Bear Poop: Difference and Comparison

Although both black bear and Grizzly bear poops appear, look, found similar. A lot of things depend upon the climatic and survival factors. However, a few differences exist between them as well.

Key Takeaways

1. Black bear scat is smaller and contains more berries and vegetation.
2. Grizzly bear scat is larger and contains more animal remains and fur.
3. The shape and consistency of the scat can provide clues to the bear’s diet and health.

Black Bear vs Grizzly Bear Poop

Grizzly bear poop has a stronger odour and contains more fibrous material, such as berries, roots, and small animal remains, due to their omnivorous diet. Black bear poop has a slightly sweeter smell and contains more plant matter, such as leaves and grasses, as they mostly feed on vegetation.

Black bear faeces are blunt in form. They are found in tubular form and have a minimal taper. When a bear eats a lot of berries and fruits, his excrement looks like a loose “cowpile.”

The black bear’s poops are frequently loaded with bug pieces and plants throughout the early summer and spring seasons. When berry season arrives, the poops of black bears become loose lumps that contain seeds and berries.

Early summer and spring are when grizzly bear poops are most tubular and fibrous, as the bears ingest more vegetation. When the bears eat meat, though, their faeces become wet, stinky, and black.

The poops appear globular when they devour berries. The Grizzly bear’s excrement is larger than the Black bear’s, measuring two inches or more in diameter. Cutworms, roots, plants, berries, and tubers are all frequently seen in Grizzly bear faeces.

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison	Black Bear Poop	Grizzly Bear Poop
Constitute of	Leaves, small bits of fur and berries	Small pepper and bells.
Shape of poops	Minimal taper, tubular, blunt ends.	Tubular, fibrous, moist, smelly.
Size	Two inches smaller than Grizzly Bear poops.	Two inches larger than Black bear poops.
Contents	Insect parts, vegetation, seeds, berries, small mammals, moose calves, deer.	Cutworm, roots, vegetation, berries, tubers, sheep, mountain goats, elk, fish parts, moose.
Colour	Green or black-brown.	Green or black-brown.

What is Black Bear Poop?

Leaves, little fragments of hair, and berries are commonly seen in black bear poop. The poops generated by black bears are blunt in shape.

They do, however, have a minor taper and come in tubular form. When the bear consumes a lot of berries and fruits, the poops resemble a loose “cowpile.”

Black bear faeces are smaller than Grizzly bear faeces, measuring up to two inches in diameter or more. The poops of black bears are frequently loaded with bug pieces and plants throughout the early summer and spring.

Poops are deposited in the shape of loose blobs that contain seeds and berries as the berry season approaches.

Bears eat both vegetation and animals. Therefore, the remnants of small mammals, moose calves, and deer can occasionally be detected in their faeces.

The colour of a black bear’s faeces varies depending on the food it eats or consumes. When bears eat a lot of grass, the colour of their faeces changes to green. When they eat a variety of foods, however, their faeces are black to brown in colour.

What is Grizzly Bear Poop?

Small pepper and bells are common in Grizzly Bear Poop. It does, however, have a peppery aroma. Grizzly bear poops are tubular and fibrous in shape during the early summer and spring seasons when the bears ingest more vegetation.

When the bears eat meat, however, the faeces become wet, stinky, and black.

When they eat berries, their faeces become spherical. Grizzly bear excrement is larger than black bear poop, measuring two inches or more in diameter. Cutworms, roots, plants, berries, and tubers are frequently found in Grizzly bear faeces.

Their faeces, on the other hand, contain residues of sheep, mountain goats, elk, fish parts, and moose.

The colour of grizzly bear scat or excrement varies depending on the food they eat, just like black bears. When bears eat a variety of foods, their faeces are black and brown in colour. When the bears eat grasses, though, their faeces are green in colour.

Main Differences Between Black Bear and Grizzly Bear Poop

1. Black Bear Poops consist of leaves, small bits of fur and berries. On the other hand, Grizzly Bear Poop consists of small pepper and bells. However, it also smells like pepper.
2. The shape of the poops produced by Black bears has blunt ends. However, they appear as a minimal taper and are found in tubular form. When the bear extensively feeds on berries and fruits, then the poops appear similar to loose “cowpile.” On the other hand, Grizzly bear poops are found in tubular and fibrous shapes in the seasons of early summer and spring as the bears consume more vegetation. However, the poop becomes moist, smelly and turns black when the bears feed on meat. When they consume berries, the poops appear globular.
3. The poops of the Black bear appear smaller to two inches in diameter or more than the Grizzly bear scat. On the other hand, the poops of the Grizzly bear appear two inches in diameter or more than its counterpart, Black bear poop.
4. During the times of early summer and spring, the poops of the black bear are filled with insect parts and vegetation. When the berry season approaches, the poops get deposited in the form of loose blobs, which constitute seeds and berries. Sometimes, the remains of small mammals, moose, calves or deer can also be found in the poops as bears feed on both plants and animals; in other words, they are omnivorous. On the other hand, the poops of the Grizzly bears constitutes part of cutworm, roots, vegetation, berries, and tubers. However, their poops also contain remnants of sheep, mountain goats, elk, fish parts and moose as well.
5. The colour of the poops of the black bear changes according to the food they eat on or consume. When bears extensively eat on grasses, then the colour of poops become green. However, when they feed on mixed food, the poops appear black to brown in appearance. On the other hand, Like Black bears, grizzly bear scat or poop’s colour also changes according to the food they feed on. When bears feed on a mixed diet, the poops appear black and brown in colour. However, when the bears feed on grasses, the poops appear green in colour.

References

1. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3781841
2. https://meridian.allenpress.com/jwd/article-abstract/35/3/618/122241
   

Last Updated : 23 August, 2023