While the grizzly commands the headlines, Wyoming's most numerous and widespread bear is the black bear, a smaller, more adaptable, and generally more retiring animal that thrives across the state's forested country.

Despite the name, black bears come in a range of colors, from black to cinnamon to blond, which can make them tricky to distinguish from young grizzlies. The surest differences lie in the shoulder hump and face shape rather than color. Black bears lack the grizzly's prominent hump and are excellent climbers, often escaping danger by scrambling up a tree.

Highly intelligent and opportunistic, black bears eat a remarkably varied diet, from berries and roots to insects and carrion. That adaptability is also what brings them into conflict with people, as bears drawn to garbage, pet food, or unsecured campsites can become bold and, ultimately, dangerous, leading to the grim wildlife adage that a fed bear is a dead bear.

Living alongside them requires vigilance, chiefly in securing anything that might tempt a bear into human spaces. Handled responsibly, coexistence is entirely possible, and the black bear remains a healthy and valued part of Wyoming's wildlife. Glimpsing one ambling through a mountain meadow or foraging along a forest edge is a common and always memorable pleasure of the state's wild places.