YOSEMITE, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – Yosemite National Park says when you are out and about in the park you might come across funny-shaped lumps on the ground.

Rangers at Yosemite National Park warn that what you are seeing might be bear droppings.

Bear scat (another word for droppings) comes in all shapes, sizes, and colors and varies in shape, from tubular, to loose or watery, depending on what has been available for the bear to eat, according to park rangers.

As the seasons change, so does a bear’s diet, as does the appearance of their scat. 

Officials with the park say as we are well into the summer season, bear scat will be looser and in large piles, and things that can’t be digested in the bear’s stomach – like seeds, fruit pieces, and bones – can be seen in what they leave behind.

Yosemite says to prepare for hibernation, bears need to eat 20,000 calories a day! That’s about 11 pounds of acorns, 100 pounds of berries, 9 pizzas, and 93 candy bars.

Black bears in the wild according to officials eat acorns, berries, and bugs. When visiting Yosemite, make sure bears are only eating food that belongs to their natural diet.

Park officials say please keep food within arm’s reach during the day and while picnicking, and store food and scented items in bear-resistant canisters at night, whether camping in the front country or backpacking in the wilderness.