Each comes in various colors from dark brown to blond. Hair is long and thick and grizzlies commonly have conspicuous silver-tipped guard hairs. Claws on the bears' hind feet are considerably shorter. An inches-thick layer of fat beneath the skin serves both as insulation and an energy source. Sloping heads appear small.
Ears are short and situated below the crown of the skull.
Eyes, nose, lips and claws are black. Adult boars stand four feet at the shoulder and are about eight feet in length. Males average about 1,000 pounds and females are typically smaller and lighter. There are reports of some polar bears weighing in excess of a ton. Plantigrades, the long-legged bears walk on the entire soles of their feet.