Not all Black Bears are Black

While up in Sequoia National Park (NP) last month, we learned that not all black bears are actually black in color. However, all the bear scat we encountered was black!  The big cinnamon-colored bear was the first that we observed from a distance of about 50 yards, and we followed it as it moved down a tree-covered slope. Minutes later, it came out into the open on some large boulders near water. From there we lost sight of the bear, but it seemed to be moving downstream toward the Lodgepole campground.

A few days later we saw this female bear (No. 65) with two youngsters. As you can see, these two also have brown coats. This family of bears foraged in the meadow for a long time, causing a major traffic jam in the park as people stopped their cars in the middle of the road and jumped out to get a photograph or two. The meadow was lush with deep grass (you can see the mother is chewing a huge mouthful), and it was right below the road that runs through the park, opposite the Giant Forest Museum.