Photo Gallery: Bears

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Close-Up of Polar Bear Paws

Photograph by Flip Nicklin

Polar bear paws have thick fur and sharp claws. The fur gives them better traction on ice, while the claws are excellent weapons for hunting.

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Black Bear Mother and Cub

Photograph by Norbert Rosing

Mother black bears are notoriously protective of their cubs, who stay with their mothers for about two years.

Black Bears Playing

Photograph by Robert Caputo

Black bear cubs are born in the winter, but emerge from their dens in the springtime. They are playful and curious, but always under their mother's watchful eye. A mother bear will call to her cubs when danger is present, and is fearless when defending her offspring.

Brown Bear Hunting

Photograph by George F. Mobley

A brown bear hunts for fish in Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge on an island off the southern coast of Alaska. A male Kodiak brown bear can rear up some 10 feet (3 meters) and, at 1,500 pounds (680 kilograms), move at speeds as high as 35 miles (56 kilometers) an hour.

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Polar Bear Sleeps Soundly

Photograph by Flip Nicklin

A sleeping polar bear looks adorable, but beware! With no natural enemies, polar bears are at the top of the Arctic food chain. They are fearless, and will readily attack humans.

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Grizzly Bear

Photograph by John Eastcott and Yva Momatiuk

A subspecies of the larger coastal brown bear, the grizzly bear gets its name from the grayish, or grizzled, tips of its fur.