🐻 American black bear vs Grizzly bear 🐻
The American black bear and the grizzly bear are about the same size. They are about the same.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🐻 American black bear | 🐻 Grizzly bear |
|---|---|---|
| Size They are about the same size. | 3.9 to 6.6 ft1.2 to 2 m1 | 5 to 7 ft1.5 to 2.1 m2 |
| Top speed We don't have a checked number for the American black bear yet. | no checked number yet | 35 mph56 km/h3 |
| Weight They are about the same. | 86 to 902 lb39 to 409 kg1 | 243 to 661 lb110 to 300 kg4 |
| Lives The grizzly bear usually lives about 3 times as long as the American black bear. | 10 years10 years1 | 25 years25 years4 |
| Eats Both eat plants and animals. | grasses, fruit, nuts and insects, and sometimes animals that have died | roots, berries, grasses, nuts, fish, insects and meat |
| Lives in They can live in the same kind of place. | forests across North America, in thick brush with plenty of food | the mountains and forests of western North America, from Alaska to Wyoming |
Which one? American black bear or grizzly bear
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the American black bear yet, so there is no race.
We only race. Real animals mostly avoid each other. A race is the only fair contest: who reaches the tree first, by top speed. Our face-off books compare real numbers, and nobody gets hurt.
10 things to know about American black bear vs Grizzly bear
- The American black bear: A common bear of North American forests that eats mostly plants.
- The grizzly bear: A big brown bear with a shoulder hump, strong enough to dig.
- They are the same kind of animal: both are mammals.
- The American black bear and the grizzly bear are about the same size: 2 against 1.
- They are about the same. That is 1 for the American black bear and 4 for the grizzly bear.
- The grizzly bear usually lives about 3 times as long as the American black bear. Usual lifespans: 1 for the American black bear and 4 for the grizzly bear.
- Both eat plants and animals. The American black bear eats grasses, fruit, nuts and insects, and sometimes animals that have died; the grizzly bear eats roots, berries, grasses, nuts, fish, insects and meat.
- The American black bear lives in forests across North America, in thick brush with plenty of food. The grizzly bear lives in the mountains and forests of western North America, from Alaska to Wyoming. They can live in the same kind of place.
- The American black bear: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 5
- The grizzly bear: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 6
Wow facts
🐻 American black bear
- A black bear eats mostly plants.
- It lives in forests from Alaska to Mexico.
- In spring it eats grasses.
🐻 Grizzly bear
- The hump on its back is a big shoulder muscle for digging.
- Its cubs are born tiny, in the middle of winter.
- Many grizzlies eat more plants than meat.
Questions kids ask about American black bear and Grizzly bear
Which is bigger, American black bear or grizzly bear?
The American black bear and the grizzly bear are about the same size: 2 against 1.
Which is heavier, American black bear or grizzly bear?
They are about the same. That is 1 for the American black bear and 4 for the grizzly bear.
Which lives longer, American black bear or grizzly bear?
The grizzly bear usually lives about 3 times as long as the American black bear. Usual lifespans: 1 for the American black bear and 4 for the grizzly bear.
What do American black bear and grizzly bear eat?
Both eat plants and animals. The American black bear eats grasses, fruit, nuts and insects, and sometimes animals that have died; the grizzly bear eats roots, berries, grasses, nuts, fish, insects and meat.
Where do American black bear and grizzly bear live?
The American black bear lives in forests across North America, in thick brush with plenty of food. The grizzly bear lives in the mountains and forests of western North America, from Alaska to Wyoming. They can live in the same kind of place.
Who would win, American black bear or grizzly bear?
We never show fights, because a fight is not a fair way to compare animals. They can share the same kind of place, and real animals mostly keep out of each other's way. What we can compare is how big, how heavy, how fast, how long they live and what they eat, as above.
📤 Share this pair
The link carries only the two animals’ names: peabody.kids/animals/compare/black-bear-vs-grizzly-bear
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Ursus americanus (American black bear), checked 10 November 2026.
- National Park Service, Bears (brown bears), checked 30 October 2026.
- National Park Service, Glacier, checked 30 October 2026.
- US Fish and Wildlife Service (grizzly bear species profile), checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.