What Bears Live in Colorado?
Short answer
Only black bears, which can be brown or cinnamon. No grizzly has been confirmed in Colorado since 1979.
By Threatened Colorado , Two Colorado natives , About us
Last reviewed , Checked against CPW sources , Sources (2)
Black bears are the only bears that live in Colorado. Grizzlies once ranged across the western three-fifths of the state, but the last one confirmed was killed in the South San Juan Wilderness on September 23, 1979, and none has been confirmed since.
Black bears come in brown and cinnamon
Color does not tell the two species apart. Colorado Parks and Wildlife notes that Colorado’s black bears can be cinnamon brown, so a brown-colored bear in Colorado is a black bear.
How to tell a grizzly from a black bear
- Shoulders: A grizzly has a muscular hump over its shoulders. A black bear has little or no hump.
- Face and ears: A grizzly has a dish-shaped face and short rounded ears. A black bear has a straight profile and taller pointed ears.
- Claws: A grizzly’s claws are 2 to 4 inches long, lighter and straighter. A black bear’s are 1 to 2.5 inches, darker and more curved.
The full comparison is in the grizzly bear profile.
If you think you saw a grizzly
Report it to Colorado Parks and Wildlife on its grizzly sighting form, which includes an identification guide. CPW keeps reporters’ locations confidential.
