Some Helpful Terminology For Describing Bears

On specialised bear tours run by an expert company, you'll have the chance to view these majestic and fascinating mammals at close range. When you’re out in the field, you might hear your naturalist guide use some unfamiliar words to describe the animals you’re seeing. Below you can acquaint yourself with some of the language typically used to describe bears.

Some Basic Descriptive Terms

Any adult bear you see can be classified as either a boar or a sow. The former refers to males, and the latter to females. Across all species, the boar is typically much larger than the female, with the greatest differences in size occurring between male and female Polar Bears. Juvenile bears are called cubs, and are born in litters of one to three. They are born blind, bald, and helpless, and so depend on their mother for the first two years of their lives. It can be rare to catch a glimpse of a sow and her cubs on bear tours, as mothers tend to be very protective.

Describing Bear Fur

In zoological terms, the fur, hair, or wool of an animal is described as its pelage. Pelage can vary greatly among bear species. Brown Bears, for example, have a much coarser and shaggier pelage than that of the Black Bear. The pelage of many bears will consist of a dense underfur topped with longer, thicker guard hairs. Guard hairs help the bear to shed water and snow, while the thick underfur acts primarily as insulation.

You might notice different fur colours, or phases, in the same species of bear. For example, the American Black Bear can be black, brown, cinnamon, blonde, and even white, in the case of the Kermode or "spirit bear".

Bears moult, or shed, annually, typically during the early summer. As the weather gets warmer, they shed their winter coats for a shorter, cooler summer coat. Wildlife enthusiasts on bear tours in the spring or early summer might observe a bear in mid-moult, distinguished by patchy, somewhat scraggly fur.

Describing Bear Paws and Claws

The bear’s paws and claws are its most valuable tools, used for digging, climbing, swimming, and catching prey. Though paw shapes and sizes differ from species to species, all have plantigrade paws. Animals that exhibit plantigrade locomotion walk with their toes and central foot bones (called metatarsals) flat on the ground. Humans also walk this way. In contrast, dogs and cats exhibit digitigrade locomotion (walking on the toes), while deer and other hoofed animals walk in an unguligrade manner.

The soles of the paws are naked and leathery to provide good traction. In Polar Bears, the surface of the feet is covered in tiny bumps, called papillae, which keep them from skidding on the ice. Bears do tend to lose a lot of body heat through their paws, which is why the Polar Bear has adapted with slightly hairier toes and paws than its cousins.

The claws of bears differ in sharpness and length from species to species. The Black Bear has very sharp, very dexterous paws that help it to climb trees, while the Brown Bear has blunter, larger, and more curved paws for digging. The Polar Bear has very wide paws, which help it distribute its weight while walking on snow, much like a snowshoe.

Bear tours are the perfect opportunity to immerse yourself in the wonderful world of wildlife. Getting familiar with wildlife language is an important step in understanding the animals you’re observing. Along the way, you just might find yourself becoming something of an expert in the field.

Marissa Ellis-Snow is a freelance nature writer. If you’re looking for bear tours, Naturetrek specialises in expert-led natural history and wildlife tours worldwide. Naturetrek brings over 25 years of experience to polar expeditions and tours to other spectacular regions on Earth.

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