Trappers sold the furs in vast quantities and would kill as many as possible in a single day. By the end of the 1800's practically all of the grizzlies in California had been eliminated. As the story goes, the last lone grizzly was killed in the mid-1920's. Ironically, the grizzly bear was chosen in 1953 as a symbol on the California State flag. The black bear survived this onslaught by man, and is still found through much of California.
Black bears are considerably smaller than grizzlies in size and weight.
Their noses are longer and they are missing the shoulder hump that characterizes the grizzly . A male adult black bear will generally weigh no more than 500 pounds. A grizzly male may weigh as much as 1500 pounds. Bears' eating habits are not specialized. From birth until nearly 5 months, bear cubs are completely dependent on their mother.