Traits: Large mammal with brown, black, or blue-gray fur; brown muzzle; short claws; sharp teeth.

Habitat: Forested areas throughout Alaska.

Foods: Varies seasonally; fresh green vegetation in spring, salmon and berries in fall; some moose calves and deer fawns; also carrion (dead animals).

Eaten by: Brown bears, black bears, humans.

Do You Know? Black bears sometimes hibernate in a tree hollow created by fungi and bacteria that decayed the wood.