U.S. States Without Grizzly Bears

Lets explore the 45 U.S. States That Don’t Have Grizzly Bears.

See the total list below:

Alabama

Alabama does not have a grizzly bear population, as these bears are not native to the southeastern United States.

Arizona

bear train — Image generated by Amy King using Midjourney

Grizzly bears were once present in Arizona, but they were extirpated by the early 20th century and have not been reintroduced.

Arkansas

Arkansas does not have any grizzly bears; the state’s bear population consists primarily of black bears.

California

Grizzly bears are famously extinct in California since the early 1900s, symbolized by the grizzly bear on the state flag.

Colorado

This Grizzly or Brown Bear views down the trail in this local zoo exhibit. Late evening summer hours for members help find the animals more active, and the sunset in the background tells the time of day. Image via depositphotos.com

Grizzly bears were once present in Colorado but were extirpated in the 1950s, and there have been no confirmed sightings since.

Connecticut

Connecticut has never had a grizzly bear population, as they are native to the western parts of North America.

Delaware

Male Grizzly Bear walking through mountain meadow. Image via Depositphotos

Delaware does not have a habitat suitable for grizzly bears and has no history of their presence.

Florida

Florida’s bear population consists of black bears, with no historical presence of grizzly bears.

Georgia

Grizzly Bear in Canada, Image via pixabay.com

Georgia has no grizzly bears, with its bear population consisting only of black bears.

Hawaii

Hawaii, due to its island geography, has no native or introduced bear species, including grizzly bears.

Illinois

Muzzle wild grizzly bear close up. Via Depositphotos

Grizzly bears are not found in Illinois, which does not have the suitable habitat for them.

Indiana

Indiana does not have a population of grizzly bears and has never been part of their historical range.

Iowa

Man Talking To a Brown Bear — Close-up of brown bear. Depsoiphotos

Iowa has no grizzly bear population, as its environment is not conducive to their needs.

Kansas

Kansas does not have grizzly bears, and they have not been part of the state’s wildlife.

Kentucky

A closeup of a grizzly bear with an open mouth standing in a park. Photo by wirestock_creators via depositphotos.com

Kentucky is home to black bears but has no population of grizzly bears.

Louisiana

Grizzly bear in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA. Image by haveseen on depositphotos.

Louisiana does not have any grizzly bears, with its bear population primarily consisting of the Louisiana black bear.

Maine

Bears attacking each other — The male bears normally attack each other during the mating season. Image via Aconcagua, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Maine has a population of black bears but no grizzly bears.

Maryland

A portrait of a wild grizzly bear. By Jean Beaufort. Image via https://www.publicdomainpictures.net/en/view-image.php?image=300112&picture=grizzly-bear, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=82893998

Grizzly bears are not found in Maryland, which is outside their historical range.

Massachusetts

Grizzly bear in Alaska. — Grizzly bear in America. By Gregory “Slobirdr” Smith – Grizzly bear (Ursus arctos ssp.), CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40573930

Massachusetts does not have grizzly bears, with its bear population consisting of black bears.

Michigan

Brown bear by Chris Weber with MidJourney — Brown bears play a crucial role in their ecosystems as keystone species, influencing plant diversity and distribution through their foraging habits and role as seed dispersers.

Image by Chris Weber with MidJourney

Michigan is home to black bears but does not have any grizzly bears.

Minnesota

While Minnesota has a significant population of black bears, it does not have any grizzly bears.

Mississippi

brown bear — Brown bear standing on a log. Image via Depositphotos

Mississippi has no grizzly bears, with its bear population consisting of black bears.

Missouri

Missouri does not have any grizzly bears; its bear population is composed of black bears.

New Jersey

Mother bear protects her three little puppies in the finnish taiga

New Jersey does not have any grizzly bears, with its bear population consisting of black bears.

New Mexico

Grizzly bears are no longer found in New Mexico, where they were extirpated in the early 20th century.

New York

Boy attack bear — Brown bears are among the largest terrestrial carnivores.
Image via Pexels

New York has a population of black bears but no grizzly bears.

North Carolina

brown bear at safari — Brown Bear at Safari Niagara, Stevensville, Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada. Image via Rlevse, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

North Carolina’s bear population is limited to black bears, with no grizzly bears.

North Dakota

Close up portrait of adult male Brown Bear on a snow-covered swamp in the spring forest. Eurasian brown bear (Ursus arctos arctos)

North Dakota does not have a population of grizzly bears.

South Dakota

While black bears are found in South Dakota, the state does not have grizzly bears.

Texas

Texas does not have a population of grizzly bears.

Virginia

Grizzly bear in typical landscape of tundra in Denali NP, Alaska, US.
Image by roussien on depositphotos.

Virginia does not have grizzly bears; its bear population is limited to black bears.

West Virginia

West Virginia is home to black bears but does not have any grizzly bears.

Wisconsin

Wisconsin has a population of black bears but no grizzly bears.

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Jan Otte

Co-Founder at Animals Around The Globe

Hi there, I'm Jan, the Co-Founder of Animals Around The Globe and one of the two guys who run this site.

As a little kid, I fell in love with nature, wildlife, and animals. Living in the USA, South Africa, Italy, China and Germany gave me the opportunity to discover the world's Wildlife. My favorite animals are Mountain Gorillas, Siberian Tigers, and Great White Sharks.

I'm a certified PADI Open Water Diver, went to Everest Base Camp and Trekked Gorillas in Uganda. I hold a Master of Science in Economics and Finance.

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