2-3, but sometimes up to 5 cubs, are born after a pregnancy of about 220 days. Lifespan is about 32 years. Although those bears in isolated pockets may be endangered through reproductive isolation, generally this bear is not considered in danger. Yukon U. a. vancouveri Vancouver Island U. a. emmansii Blue Bear, Glacier Bear N British Columbia, Yukon U. a. cinnamomum Cinammon Bear SW Canada, W USA U. a. Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan A small black species with shaggy coat which may be flecked with brown and grey hairs.
Males are considerably heavier than females.
This species has a reputation for aggression which, together with its purported destruction of crops, led to it being hunted throughout its range. Today it is endangered through habitat loss. This is the smallest species of bear, distinguishable by a short black coat with a light patch varying in shape on the chest and a grey muzzle. Males are not much heavier than females. There is not a great deal known about this bear's natural history, including its reproduction, although paradoxically many attempt to keep them as pets, an effort that is often doomed to failure due to the bears' behaviour getting wilder with age.