Bear Anatomy

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The Bear Almanac by Gary Brown - Descriptions of Fur ( by Species )

American black bear: soft, dense underfur ( insulation ); long, coarse, thick ( diameter ) guard hair.
Andean Bear: long ( 3 to 4 inches ) and thick; somewhat shaggy; shiny.
Asiatic Black Bear: soft; shaggy; manelike mantle of hair around the neck, shoulders, and jowls; length varies with climate and habitat and is inversely proportional to fall fat accumulation.
Giant Panda: coarse; extremely dense and woolly; sparse on underside; feels slightly oily; resists compaction; fur is well suited for an animal that spends considerable time sitting on the ground in a cool, moist climate.
Sun Bear: very short and dense; smooth and sleek; dark skin evident; fur cowlicks and whorls on forehead and behind ears.
Sloth Bear: long and straight; unusually coarse and shaggy; mane ( ruff ) behind head, on neck and shoulders; only bear with long hair on ears; underlegs and belly almost bare; lacks facial hair, minimal hair on snout; fur often matted and unkempt.
Brown Bear: long, thick fur; moderately long mane at back of head.
Polar Bear: This is the most fur-clad species of bear, being completely covered except for nose and paw pads; fur is thick ( 650 hairs/.39 square inch ) with tufted guard hairs. The 2 to 6-inch-long hair is hollow and oily, providing heat preservation on ice and land and buoyancy while at sea ( there is no insulation value when the bear is in the sea ).
A theory presently being debated is that polar bear hair collects heat. The theory is each hair is a hollow, transparent tube that reflects and scatters the sun's rays to the black skin where the heat is absorbed; the hairs change 95 percent of the sun's rays to heat. Reply