Morphology

Unlike most other Carnivora, bears have plantigrade feet

Despite being quadrupeds, bears can stand and sit similarly to humans.
Bears are generally bulky and robust animals with relatively short legs. They are sexually
dimorphic with regard to size, with the males being larger.[23][24] Larger species tend to show
increased levels of sexual dimorphism in comparison to smaller species,[24] and where a species
varies in size across its distribution, individuals from larger-sized areas tend also to vary more.
Bears are the most massive terrestrial members of the order Carnivora. Some exceptional polar
bears and Kodiak bears (a brown bear subspecies) have been weighed at over 750 kg (1,650 lb).
As to which species is the largest depends on whether the assessment is based on which species
has the largest individuals (brown bears) or on the largest average size (polar bears), as some
races of brown bears are much smaller than polar bears. Adult male Kodiak bears average 480 to
533 kg (1,058 to 1,175 lb) compared to an average of 386 to 408 kg (851 to 899 lb) in adult male
polar bears, per the Guinness Book of World Records.[25] The smallest bears are the sun bears of
Asia, which weigh an average of 65 kg (143 lb) for the males and 45 kg (99 lb) for the females,
though the smallest mature females can weigh only 20 kg (44 lb).[26][27] All "medium"-sized bear
species (which include the other five extant species) are around the same average weight, with
males averaging around 100 to 120 kg (220 to 260 lb) and females averaging around 60 to 85 kg
(132 to 187 lb), although it is not uncommon for male American black bears to considerably
exceed "average" weights.[28] Head-and-body length can range from 120 cm (47 in) in sun bears
to 300 cm (120 in) in large polar and brown bears and shoulder height can range from 60 cm
(24 in) to over 160 cm (63 in) in the same species, respectively. The tails of bears are often
considered a vestigial feature and can range from 3 to 22 cm (1.2 to 8.7 in).[27][28]

Unlike most other land carnivorans, bears are plantigrade. They distribute their weight toward
the hind feet, which makes them look lumbering when they walk. They are still quite fast, with
the brown bear reaching 48 km/h (30 mph)[citation needed], although they are still slower than felines
and canines. Bears can stand on their hind feet and sit up straight with remarkable balance.
Bears' nonretractable claws are