In general, bears that live in thickly forested, visually restricted environments as do black bears, sun bears, sloth bears, spectacled bears and giant pandas tend to be much more vocal than bears that live in open territory such as brown bears and polar bears. In open territory, visual signals send the message, not vocalizations. That's because bears are plantigrades, that is, they walk by pressing their heels against the ground. Their ankle joints are positioned just above the ground. Bears usually move about on all fours but often stand up on their hind legs to have a better look around.
Bears can run incredibly fast despite their bulky appearance.
The bear's broad paws, massive limbs, plantigrade hindfeet and short back provide strength and mobility of limb movement. The relatively short limbs of bears are capable of producing large forces over a great range of motion. The broad paws support the bears body especially when balancing on their hindfeet. The bears paws also have non-retractile claws. Each of the eight bear species live in different types of habitats and their feet all have special adaptations for their different environments.