With the number of bears increasing in the state, it is important for residents to learn the facts about black bears and how to live in close association with them. The black bear is a stocky animal with short, thick legs. It is the smallest North American bear. In Connecticut, males, or boars, normally weigh from 150 to 300 pounds, while females, or sows, weigh from 110 to 150 pounds. Yearlings, or first-year bears, weigh 60 to 110 pounds.
Adults are five to six feet long.
The black bears's coat is typically glossy black or brownish black, except for the muzzle, which is tan. There is sometimes a small, white patch on the throat. Some black bears are brown or cinnamon. Black bears have five toes, with claws, on the feet. Bear tracks resemble human tracks, but the front feet are shorter than the rear.