There are a few bears in the world that are considered to be "special" – they're called spirit bears, or kermode bears. These black bears have white fur, and are only found in the Great Bear Rainforest on the coast of British Columbia. Kermode bears are special for a few reasons: first of all, they're not very common (only about 10% of black bears in the area are kermodes); secondly, they're known as being incredibly gentle and shy animals; and finally, many people believe that these bears are messengers from the spirit world. If you're lucky enough to see a kermode bear in the wild, it's definitely an experience you'll never forget!
A full grown male Kermode Bear is about 5 feet tall and can weight up to 500 pounds, whereas a female is smaller with a weight of up to 200 pounds.
Kermode Bear fur is usually an off-white color, but when in direct sunlight they appear to be a light brown. This white color is due to the animal's high concentration of melanin that develops naturally within the bear's body at birth. It marks them as different from other types of bears and makes them unique. However, there are some Kermode Bears born without this melanin pigmentation making their fur brown instead like most other varieties of black bear. These animals are called "ghosts" for this reason.
400 and 1,200
Least Concern (LC)
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