Bears are large generalist omnivores. They are very powerfully built, with massive forelegs, long snouts, rounded ears, and shaggy coats. Bears typically amble along on all fours, but can easily rear up on their hind legs to get a better view or to defend themselves. They can put on bursts of speed rivalling that of a horse with rider. Bears are strong swimmers and powerful diggers, some species are adept at climbing as well.
Bears live in a world of scent. They use it for identification, tracking, finding food, and for reading social cues left by others of their kind. Bears have acute hearing, but their eyesight is not well adapted for discerning detail and they often have trouble seeing stationary objects. Bears use their muzzle and whiskers as their primary organ of touch, much as a human would use his hands.
The powerful limbs of bears make potent weapons. Blows from a bear's paws can break the neck of a horse or moose. Their claws add to the injury by ripping skin and meat. An angry bear will stand up to free its forelegs for fighting. It can also grab and hug an opponent, keeping it immobilized while it is repeatedly bitten. The jaws of a bear are not strong compared to other meat-eaters, butthey are sufficient to cause serious injury.
A bear that is scared will usually try to run away, if possible. However, bears often fight back, particularly against anyone who has hurt them or a mother defending her cubs. They are known for their ability to ignore serious wounds while chasing down and mauling their assailants.
Bears are not picky eaters. They gulp down anything vaguely edible, from grains, bulbs, roots, leaves, and fruit to grubs, honey, eggs, fish, carrion and fresh meat. While not the hunters that dogs or cats are, they have no qualms about turning live fresh meat into dead fresh meat for their consumption. They will use their strength to their advantage in confrontations with other carnivores to drive them away from their kills.
Bears are mostly nocturnal. Except in the tropics, they gorge themselves in summer and autumn to put on fat stores for winter, then spend the winter inactive in a state of mild torpor. Bears are not social creatures, except for females with cubs they keep to themselves. When a limited area has an abundance of food, it may draw in crowds of bears, but these bears maintain a strong dominance hierarchy based on size and strength.
Brown bears were originally found throught much of the Northern Hemisphere, but conflict with man has diven them into the remote wilderness areas. These are large, aggressive bears, well known for their fierce disposition. In the American West, they are known as Grizzlies. The brown bears of the far north are among the largest bears on earth, rivaled only by the polar bear. Brown bears gather at rich seasonal food sources, particularly the salmon runs that bring a rich feast inland every year. The bears wade out into the water to slap fish from the streams, or catch the slipper fish in their mouths, often in mid jump.
Brown Bear
The small brown bear Type is appropriate for female grizzlies, the medium brown bear Type for male grizzlies. Female northern brown bears use the large brown bear type, male northern browns use the huge brown bear Type.
The American black bear is a medium sized bear found from coast to coast in North America. In spite of its name, it is not always black. Coat color can vary from blonde to cinnamon to brown to the typical black color. Some populations even have a number of individuals that are all white. This bear has adapted to the presence of humans, and is often a nuissance when it raids human garbage. Bears attracted to campsites by the smell of food often lead to dangerous encounters with people. The black bear is an able climber, and will often scale trees.
American Black Bear
The Size given for the Type is in the middle of the range of sizes, but this can vary significantly. Females range from Size 0 S to +1, males from Size 0 L to 1 L.