Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Customize your bowl with sliced pork, pork balls, fish cake, and offal.
Rung Rueang
A typical Khettara well.
Jorf Khettaras
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
Shadow Room
The Museum of Lost Tales
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Alaska Gustavus Glacier Bears of Glacier Bay National Park
AO Edited

Glacier Bears of Glacier Bay National Park

A rare kind of blue bear can be found chiefly in the national park that shares their name.

Gustavus, Alaska

Added By
Aaron Netsky
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
A black bear with glacier bear cubs   National Park Service
A light-colored glacier bear   National Park Service
A rainbow of bears, with the glacier bear on the left   Biodiversity Heritage Library
Glacier Bay National Park, home of the glacier bear   Matt Zimmerman
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Bears come in many shapes, sizes, and colors. On their hind legs, they can be as tall as eleven feet or as short as four feet. Their bodies can be very round, very muscular, or very sleek. They can be brown, black, blonde, white, or blue. Yes, blue. 

American black bears actually come in all of the colors listed above. The white ones are called Kermode bears or spirit bears. The blue ones are glacier bears, or Ursus americanus emmonsii, and were first identified in 1895. Since black bears of all different colors can reproduce and thus create offspring that are heterogeneous with respect to fur color, it is possible that two black bears with black fur might produce a cub with blue fur.

Glacier bears are mostly found in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve as well as Tongass National Forest in Alaska, with occasional sightings in the capital city of Juneau. Their fur color ranges from silvery blue to grey, and tends to be darker closer to their bodies, terminating in white tips. The coloring is not always evenly distributed. They are among the most rare bears in the world, with little concrete information known about them or their numbers.

What is known is that they are pretty similar to other black bears: They favor forests, but follow the food supply; they are omnivores whose diets include roots, berries, salmon, and large mammals depending on the time of year; they average about six feet tall; they live an average of ten years; they breed in the summer and give birth in the winter; and they retreat to their den in early winter to hibernate.

People in towns near glacier bear ranges tend to have great affection for their unique ursine neighbors. They sometimes name sports teams after them and often set up hunting regulations to protect them, lest their rare and beautiful coats come to be considered prized trophies.

Related Tags

Bears National Parks Animals

Know Before You Go

It is hard to get around Alaska, you will probably need a guide with a boat or helicopter to help you. Do not get too close to wild bears, no matter what color they are.

Community Contributors

Added By

AaronNetsky

Edited By

RHyzer

  • RHyzer

Published

November 16, 2016

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.thegreatbearshow.com/Bear_Facts.html
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glacier_bear
  • http://juneauempire.com/stories/062708/sta_296264739.shtml#.WCTQTHfMyLI
Glacier Bears of Glacier Bay National Park
Glacier Bay National Park
Gustavus, Alaska
United States
58.665807, -136.900215
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Jilkaat Kwaan Heritage Center

Haines, Alaska

miles away

Eldred Rock Lighthouse

Alaska

miles away

Hammer Museum

Haines, Alaska

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Alaska

Alaska

United States

Places 102
Stories 45

Nearby Places

Jilkaat Kwaan Heritage Center

Haines, Alaska

miles away

Eldred Rock Lighthouse

Alaska

miles away

Hammer Museum

Haines, Alaska

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Alaska

Alaska

United States

Places 102
Stories 45

Related Stories and Lists

The Ultimate Guide to America's National Parks

List

By Atlas Obscura

17 Wonders of America's National Parks

List

By Michelle Cassidy

Related Places

  • Smaller Old Bear Casle

    Helsinki, Finland

    Old Bear Castles of Korkeasaari Zoo

    These historical landmarks stand as reminders of the evolution of animal care and conservation.

  • Charlton, Massachusetts

    Grave of Grizzly Adams

    The final resting place of a man who claimed that he could tame even the mightiest of bears.

  • Topi

    South Sudan

    Topi of Boma National Park

    Every October, one of the largest migration of mammals in the world thunders through Boma National Park.

  • The crossing offers a safer way for animals to move across the highway.

    Improvement District No. 9, Alberta

    Banff Wildlife Crossings

    Though many were skeptical at first, these animal-specific routes across the Trans-Canada Highway have been a major conservation success.

  • Bear Pit, Sheffield Botanic Gardens

    Sheffield, England

    Sheffield Botanical Gardens Bear Pit

    In the 19th century, this pit housed a fully grown black bear for the entertainment of visitors. Today there is a sculpture in tribute to the poor creature.

  • An elk herd in Cataloochee.

    Maggie Valley, North Carolina

    Smoky Mountain Elk Fest

    An annual celebration of the region's successful elk reintroduction program.

  • Chi-Chi eternally munching a bamboo stalk.

    London, England

    Chi-Chi the Giant Panda

    The beloved beast's taxidermy remains sit in the Natural History Museum's cafe.

  • A giant anteater in its natural habitat the Cerrado grasslands, Serra Da Canastra.

    São Roque de Minas, Brazil

    Giant Anteaters of Serra da Canastra

    This breathtaking national park is one of the best places to see the weird and wonderful giant anteater in the wild.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.