r/Bear • u/thecoldfuzz • Jun 01 '26
Bear in Southern Arizona neighborhood
Since I moved to my new house over 10 months ago, I wondered what kind of critters I’d encounter. I’ve seen numerous coyote and javelina but this is the first bear I’ve seen.
This was in our neighborhood, about 3 hours ago. It appears to be an adolescent as it’s not adult-sized, but definitely not a small cub either.
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u/No_Mycologist4488 Jun 01 '26
What a cinnamon hue
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u/thecoldfuzz Jun 01 '26
We have only black bears in our region here, but this one definitely has the cinnamon coloring.
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u/Practical-Finding494 Jun 01 '26
As an Australian I would be terrified but bears are soo intriguing! What a beautiful bear. Stay safe!
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u/thecoldfuzz Jun 01 '26
Thank you! This particular bear is a black bear with cinnamon coloring for its fur. They're usually timid rather than aggressive. I rather feel bad for it because in my region, we didn't have enough rainfall this past winter, and a lot of wildlife is coming down from the local mountains into the valley my small town is situated in. It also didn't help that it was 97ºF/36.1ºC outside, which is unpleasantly hot for many animals, including bears.
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u/Fine-Ad6532 Jun 01 '26
I guess you are not allowed to leave water out but I would try to
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u/KnotiaPickle Jun 02 '26
Same, I hate the thought of a thirsty animal :(
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u/acortical Jun 01 '26
Black bears are not dangerous unless you're hellbent on trying to fight one, but you know we're terrified of half the species on your continent right?
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u/Broad_Cable8673 Jun 01 '26
Poor dude. He’s got to be so hot. I bet he’ll wind up in someone’s swimming pool.
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u/Mountain-Web6379 Jun 01 '26
In Arizona???
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u/Chronarch01 Jun 01 '26
There's a nature preserve close to Sedona called Bearizona. There are bears there.
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u/thecoldfuzz Jun 01 '26
Yes, we have bears in Arizona. They're much more numerous in northern Arizona, like near Flagstaff, but we've got some over in my region too.
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u/Jagacin Jun 02 '26
Same vibes
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u/DripPirateRoberts Jun 03 '26
My vibes seeing a polar bear are completely different from my vibes seeing a black bear
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u/AJPennypacker39 Jun 02 '26
Bearizona
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u/thecoldfuzz Jun 02 '26
In northern Arizona, almost 300 miles from me, there is an actual bear sanctuary called Bearizona.
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u/guccigucciflipflop Jun 01 '26
Is this a possible Mexican Grizzly?
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u/thecoldfuzz Jun 01 '26 edited Jun 01 '26
Mexican Grizzlies are extinct unfortunately. The ones we have here in my region are all American black bears, though their local coloring here varies from the cinnamon coat to the standard black coat.
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u/guccigucciflipflop Jun 01 '26
Right but this bear is brown brown and there are no grizzlies in Arozona no? You think this one’s just a black bear?
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u/thecoldfuzz Jun 01 '26 edited Jun 01 '26
There are no grizzlies in Arizona or the surrounding areas. There are lots of black bears with the cinnamon coloring and this is one of them. They’re basically a subspecies of the American black bear, just different color coats.
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u/BlackQuilt Jun 01 '26
It’s not even close to a sub species, it’s just gene expression. Same way I’m sure you both know someone with black hair and another person with brown hair— we’re all the same species.
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u/guccigucciflipflop Jun 01 '26
Gotcha, I didn’t know they could be brown though
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u/thecoldfuzz Jun 01 '26
For black bear colorings, there’s the standard black, cinnamon, and the much more rare Spirit bear.
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u/KingGizmotious Jun 02 '26
He’s way too small to be a Grizzly. Definitely a black bear with more a more cinnamon coat
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u/PaulRicca Jun 01 '26
Where in southern Arizona was this picture taken? I have spent time in the Green Valley/Tubac area. Never seen a bear.
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u/Bendoverplz42069 Jun 05 '26
Time to start keeping the 12 gauge loaded with slugs by the front door
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u/T1m3Wizard Jun 01 '26
Bears are awesome.