New A.I. Offers Facial Recognition for Grizzly Bears

Grizzly bears have domed shoulders, tall foreheads, and pale-tipped fur that gives them their grizzled appearance. If you're comparing two bears, one might be lighter or darker in color, or fatter for hibernation. But for the most part, there's no universal, unique marker a person can use to tell two bears apart. This issue is a challenge for scientists like University of Victoria wildlife conservationist Melanie Clapham, whose research on grizzly bear behavior requires her to monitor individual bears over years, Adam van der Zwan reports for CBC. But now, Clapham and her research team have developed a solution: facial recognition for bears. Bears grow and shrink a lot depending on the season, and their appearance changes frequently during their 20- to 25-year-long lifespans.