Discovering animal tracks in the snow is a thrilling experience, connecting us to the hidden lives of wildlife. Among the most impressive winter跡 (tracks), bear prints can spark both awe and curiosity. But can you tell the difference between a grizzly and a black bear track in the snow? While direct observation of the animal is always definitive, understanding Bear Snow Prints can unlock the mystery of who passed by. This guide will delve into the key features to look for when identifying bear tracks in snowy landscapes, drawing comparisons between grizzly and black bear prints to enhance your winter wildlife tracking skills.
Young black bear inspects my camera trap
A curious young black bear investigates a camera trap in its natural habitat.
Understanding Bear Tracks in Snow: Grizzly vs. Black Bear
In regions where both grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) and black bears (Ursus americanus) roam, distinguishing between their tracks, particularly in challenging substrates like snow, can be tricky. While encountering the actual bear might be more common in human-habituated park settings, outside these zones, bear snow prints might be the only evidence of their passage. Misidentification is easy, so examining multiple characteristics across several tracks is crucial for accurate identification. Relying on a single feature can often lead to errors due to variations in snow conditions, track age, and individual bear anatomy. Even tracks from the same bear along the same trail can vary slightly due to minor substrate differences.
Unraveling Mystery Bear Tracks in Snow
Recently, a fascinating trail of bear snow prints was discovered in Montana’s fresh snowfall, exhibiting an overstep walk pattern. This pattern, where hind tracks land ahead of the front tracks, is ideal for analysis as it keeps individual prints distinct.
grizzly vs black bear tracks, these are grizzly
A clear trail of bear tracks in an overstep walk pattern across a snowy landscape in Montana, showing distinct front and hind prints.
Careful measurements of several clear front and hind track sets suggested grizzly bear prints with reasonable confidence. However, online discussions revealed differing opinions, prompting a deeper examination, much like the bear’s curiosity with the camera trap in the opening image. While grizzly remains the likely candidate, open discussion and analysis are vital in wildlife tracking.
Known Black Bear Snow Prints for Comparison
For comparative analysis, consider these black bear tracks photographed in snow by wildlife photographer Randy Robbins (explore his stunning work at Randy Robbins Photography). The bear was directly observed making these tracks, ensuring definitive identification. These tracks, also formed in wet snow, provide an excellent comparison point to the mystery tracks.
black bear tracks
Definitive black bear tracks in snow, clearly showing the hind print’s oval shape for comparison with other bear tracks.
Key Features for Distinguishing Bear Snow Prints
When identifying the mystery bear snow prints, the initial analysis focused on four primary features: claw length, the 5th toe/interdigital pad rule, negative space, and overall track size. These same features are then compared against the known black bear tracks. (Refer to the labeled photos at the end of this post for visual aids during this discussion.)
1. Claw Length in Snow Tracks
Grizzly bears typically exhibit longer and straighter claws on their front feet compared to black bears. This difference is related to their foraging habits, particularly root grubbing (as detailed in Grizzly Bear Root Grubbing). Some trackers prioritize claw length as the most crucial distinguishing feature. Rezendes, for instance, uses the middle toe of the front track as a reference: claws longer than the toe suggest grizzly, while shorter claws point to black bear.
However, it’s important to note caveats. Rezendes himself found that about 18% of Alaskan brown bear tracks showed claws slightly shorter than the toe length. Elbroch and McFarland also emphasize that claw length alone is not entirely reliable. Therefore, it’s best to consider it alongside other features when examining bear snow prints.
In the mystery tracks, the middle toe claw marks are clearly visible and noticeably longer than the corresponding toes, aligning with grizzly characteristics. Claw marks in Randy’s black bear tracks are less clear.
2. The 5th Toe / Interdigital Pad Rule in Snow
This rule focuses on the arc of the front track toes and is exclusive to front tracks. It might be less precise for tracks in direct register patterns where hind tracks overlay front tracks.
Grizzly bear front toes tend to form a shallower arc, almost a straight line, while black bear toe arcs are more curved. To assess this, imagine a line from the proximal edge of the outermost toe (toe #5) to the distal edge of the interdigital pad (the equivalent of a human palm pad). This line is visualized in green in the track photos provided.
In snowy or soft substrates, defining the edges of toes and pads requires identifying the “minimum outline” – the outline at the track’s deepest point, as explained at Track Nature.
Interpretation:
- If more than half of the innermost toe (toe #1) extends beyond this line, it suggests a grizzly.
- If the line bisects the toe, the result is inconclusive, requiring further feature analysis.
- If more than half of toe #1 falls behind the line, it likely indicates a black bear.
Applying this rule to multiple front bear snow prints from the same trail enhances accuracy, especially if toe #1’s position is ambiguous. In all three mystery front tracks, over half of toe #1 extends beyond the line, suggesting grizzly, though not definitively.
black bear track at left, grizzly track on the right
Comparison of the 5th Toe / Interdigital Pad Rule applied to a known black bear track (left) and the mystery bear track (right), indicating the mystery track is more likely grizzly.
3. Negative Space in Snow Tracks
Grizzly bears generally have less fur on their paw bottoms compared to black bears. This results in less “negative space” within grizzly tracks in snow. Their toes might appear closer together, and the space between the interdigital pad and heel pad may be minimal or absent. However, a crease between these pads might still be visible in the bear snow prints.
Black bears, with more fur between their toes and a fur wedge in the “arch” between the interdigital and heel pads, often show more negative space in their tracks, particularly in good substrates. This wedge might appear as distinct negative space in clear bear snow prints, but may be less visible in certain snow conditions. While some hind tracks from the mystery trail show minimal wedge evidence, one is ambiguous, possibly due to substrate irregularities.
Elbroch and McFarland consider negative space a reliable differentiator. However, because substrate significantly affects its appearance, it’s advisable to use it in conjunction with other features when identifying bear snow prints.
4. Track Size in Snow
Track size overlap between grizzly and black bears limits its utility, except when a track falls outside the size range of one species. The hind track lengths of the mystery bear snow prints exceed reported black bear hind track sizes in respected tracking guides.
Elbroch and McFarland note black bear hind tracks up to 8 7/8 inches (including claws), while Rezendes reports up to 7 3/4 inches (also including claws). The mystery hind tracks, measuring 9 1/4 and 9 1/2 inches excluding claws, are significantly larger than the reported black bear range, making them more consistent with grizzly bear snow prints.
5. Bonus Feature: Track Depth in Snow
Zoologist Vladimir Dinets highlights another feature: track depth. Due to their heavy shoulder musculature, grizzly bear front tracks often register deeper in snow than their hind tracks. This isn’t typical for black bears, which lack the pronounced shoulder hump. In fact, as black bears gain weight for winter, their hind tracks might be deeper due to their heavier belly.
While track depth wasn’t assessed during the initial mystery track discovery, it’s a valuable point to consider for future bear snow print analysis.
Visual Aids: Bear Snow Prints with Graphics
To visually illustrate these distinguishing features, refer to the labeled images below.
Mystery Bear Snow Prints
(Above) Montana mystery bear tracks in snow. Features like long front claws, large hind track size, minimal negative space in the hind track “arch,” and the shallow front toe arc suggest grizzly tracks.
grizzly vs black bear tracks
(Above) A pair of mystery bear tracks in snow showing a possible negative space wedge in the hind track. However, its extension to the interdigital pad’s edge raises questions about whether it’s due to substrate irregularity rather than actual negative space.
(Above) Another pair of mystery tracks in snow. Approximately half of the innermost toe falls behind the green line, an equivocal result. An indentation is present at the “arch,” but less pronounced than typical black bear negative space wedges.
Known Black Bear Snow Prints
black bear tracks
(Above) Clear black bear tracks in snow. Notice the pale wedge of negative space in the hind track between the foot’s ball and heel, corresponding to fur. The innermost toe on the front track clearly falls behind the green line.
Diagnosis: Interpreting Bear Snow Prints
Track identification often involves probability. Can we definitively say the mystery bear snow prints are 100% grizzly and not black bear? No. However, the collective track characteristics lean more towards grizzly:
If these Montana tracks were indeed made by a black bear, it would be an exceptionally large individual with unusually long claws, a shallower toe arc, and potentially less foot fur than typical for its species. While not impossible, a normal-sized grizzly with typical features is more probable.
grizzly mother and cub
A grizzly mother and cub in their habitat. Note the mother’s distinct shoulder hump, contributing to deeper front tracks compared to hind tracks in snow.
Sources
Elbroch, M. and C. McFarland. Mammals Tracks & Sign: A Guide to North American Mammals. 2nd Edition. Guilford, CT: Stackpole Books, 2019.
Rezendes, P. Tracking & the Art of Seeing: How to Read Animal Tracks and Sign. 2nd Edition. New York, NT: HarperCollins Publishers, 1999.
