The bear is plantigrade, walking on the soles of its feet. There are five toes on each foot, each armed with a strong, curved, nonretractible claw. The black bear is also unique in that it comes in a wide range of colors. A typical black bear has long, lustrous jet-black hair over most of the body from its head down to its tiny tail. On its muzzle and around its eyes, the hair is light-colored.
Most black bears have a splash of pure white on their chests.
This splash may vary from just a few hairs to an area about a foot across. Black bears also come in almost every shade of brown and some are bright blond. One race of the black bear is a smoky-blue and another race is pure white. Bear experts admit they are unable to tell the animals apart and classify both under the Latin name Ursus arctos. Alaskan brown bears are huge, formidable animals that may weigh as much as 1,500 pounds.