Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction -- What is a bear? -- Bears of the world -- A coat of many colours -- A bear's neighbourhood -- The mating season -- Bear chow -- The enemies of bears -- A bunch of bears -- Teenager bears -- Winter hideaways -- Baby bears -- People and bears -- The future of bears.

"An introduction to the strange and wonderful natural histories of the world's eight bear species by one of Canada's best-known and most widely published nature writers and wildlife photographers."-- Provided by publisher.