Kermode Bear

Ursus americanus kermodei

Safety note: Dangerous — observe from a safe distance.

The Kermode Bear, also called the Spirit Bear, is a rare subspecies of the American black bear in which some individuals express a recessive gene producing a creamy white coat despite being genetically a black bear. Roughly one in ten Kermode bears on the central coast of British Columbia is white. First Nations peoples have protected and revered spirit bears for generations.

Habitat

Temperate rainforests and coastal islands of British Columbia

Diet

Salmon, berries, sedges, insects, and small mammals

How common

Rare

Not certain it is a Kermode Bear? What animal is this? walks through what to check first and the lookalikes that catch people out.