As US records show, the largest grizzly bear on record was a true behemoth.
But that doesn’t hold a candle to the black bear.
As Katmai National Park Ranger Cheryl Spencer explains, “All grizzly bears are black bears.
Grizzlies are only a subspecies of the black bear.
The difference is where the bear lives.
Even black bears, like the behemoths of Katmai’s Fat Bear Week, “have access to these coastal resources.” All of this is relevant information when searching for grizzly bear stories online, because many black bear stories are related to grizzly bears when they are not.
Black bears outnumber grizzlies inland.
You’ll find record-breaking grizzlies and black bears listed below, each drawn from only popular literature. The Greatest Grizzly Bears Ever Recorded (Ursus arctos horribilis) In total, there are only six entries in the state of Montana for grizzly bears, although the species has been protected since 1975 (two years after the introduction of the Endangered Species Act).
However, Montana offers official historic records of their black bears, which include upland grizzlies.
For these reasons, the state is the most reliable source of grizzly bear hunting. Largest grizzly bear recorded in Montana: 25 9/16 inch skull. Cameroon.
The skull of this bear resides in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
(source) As the top story shows, grizzly bear stories are written by their heads.
While this allows for historical data to be calculated, it does not provide official measurements for the largest grizzly bears.
For this, we’re looking at Montana’s third largest on record, although there are contenders for second place: The third largest grizzly bear recorded in Montana: The Lincoln GrizzlyMontana’s “Lincoln Grizzly” is on permanent display at the Lincoln Ranger District office.
(source) While legends of 1,200 pound grizzly giants persist, the weight of the Lincoln Grizzly represents a true measure.
The black bear is the largest, but most are coastal black bears (i.e. larger than grizzlies). The largest ever recorded was from Alaska.
There, the titanic bear population grew between 12,000 years of isolation in the Kodiak state and the islands.
And as the record holder points out, a 5-inch black skull holds the top of Montana’s largest documented grizzly:
Alaska black bear world record: 30 12/16 skull measurements.
With a skull count of 28 4/16, “it was over 9 feet tall, and Alaskan biologists believe that this giant monster was more than 20 years old,” John said. McAdams is the hunter and naturalist of The Big Game Hunt. The all-time record holder may have stood between 9-to-10-feet on his hind legs in life.
That is truly a giant, and easily one of the largest bears – black or brown – to ever live. Brown and Grizzly Bears next.