The American black bear is the smallest, but also the most common, bear species in North America. People tend to think that bears are very dangerous, especially to humans. In reality, bears are harmless creatures and have a very friendly behavior. Compared to all other types of bears, the American black bear falls in the middle in terms of size. It is smaller than a polar bear, but larger than a sloth bear. Black bears vary in size depending on their location in the world, their sex, the amount of food available, the time of year, and their inherited genes. Male and female black bears have a huge difference in size. Males tend to be twenty to sixty percent larger than females. The length of a male black bear can vary from fifty to seventy inches and his tail is approximately five inches long. The paws of a male black bear are extremely large; about ten inches long. Their weight can range from two hundred and fifty to five hundred pounds, but most male black bears weigh around three hundred and fifty pounds. The female black bear measures fifty to fifty-five inches in length and her tail can vary from three to four inches in length. . A female's legs are also quite large, measuring around eight inches in length. A smaller female weighs around two hundred and twenty-five pounds, but a larger female can weigh up to four hundred and fifty pounds. American black bears are covered in long, soft fur. Although they are called "black bears", American black bears are not always black. They can range from a darker blonde color to jet black. In the western part of the United States, black bears are normally lighter in color, while black bears in the central United States are darker. American black bears are middle of paper......obert. Animal life. Oxford University Press, 1991. “Climate Zone Map.” [Online] large.jpg> February 17, 2010.Jackson, Hartley HT Mammals of Wisconsin. The University of Wisconsin Press, 1961. “Climate of North America.” [Online] Spotlight/climates/north_America_climate.gif> January 18, 2010. “Omnivores.” [Online]HTML/info/whats-an-omnivore.html> February 15, 2010. “The Black Bear”. [Online]%29taxonomy.htm> February 4, 2010. “Ursus Americanus”. [Online] accounts/information/Ursus_americanus.html> January 18, 2010. “Black Bears”. [Online] Bears.htm > February 21 2010.