Fur Coloration

of the

Black Bear

(Ursus americanus)

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By: Jack L. McSherry, III

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To the left, on the image above, is a glacier bear, which tend to appear gray, white or blue, due to the combination of black and white fur. The coloration provides protection from the eyesight of hunters in snowy areas; therefore, the recessive gene that produces this coloration becomes more dominate due to breeding with other surviving bears. Although the species of this bear  is Ursus americanus, early books refer to this bear as an Euarctos emmonsii, believing it be a different species.

 

In the centerof the image is a brown or "cinnamon" bear, a common color varriation.

 

To the right of the image, is the traditional coloration of the black bear. Black fur with a brown face. In many cases they have white fir on the neck and chest. 

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Image source: National Geographic Society, Wild Animals of North America, 1930, page 41

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