Asian black bear Coloring Pages

A bear that lives in the forests of Japan

The Asian black bear is a bear that lives in the mountains and forests of Honshu and Shikoku.
Its body is about 120 to 180 centimeters long, and it is covered in black fur all over.
A grown-up male weighs about 50 to 120 kilograms.
They used to live in Kyushu long ago, but people think they are gone now.

The name comes from the "crescent moon" on its chest

An Asian black bear has a white crescent moon pattern on its chest.
This moon-like pattern is how it got its name, "moon bear"!
The shape of the pattern is a little different for each bear. Some look like a V shape, some are thick, and some are thin.
Try to find the chest pattern on the first coloring page!

Good at climbing trees

The Asian black bear is really good at climbing trees.
It hooks its sharp claws into the tree trunk and climbs smoothly up to high places.
In the second coloring page, it is holding onto a tree trunk and looking right at you.
When it eats fruit high in a tree, it breaks the branches. Sometimes these broken branches pile up like a bird's nest, and people call this a "bear shelf."

Eats Anything

Asian black bears are omnivores, which means they eat all kinds of things like grass, tree buds, nuts, and insects.
In autumn, they eat lots of acorns to store up body fat for the winter.
They even eat ants sometimes, too!

In winter, they sleep inside a hole

When winter comes, the Asian black bear hibernates inside tree hollows or spaces between rocks.
During that time, it spends its days until spring almost without eating anything.
Mother Asian black bears give birth to tiny babies while hibernating.

A sharp nose and a keen sense of smell

An Asian black bear relies much more on its nose than its eyes.
It can sniff out the smell of food even from far away.
Its ears can pick up tiny sounds, too.
Take a look at the first coloring page to see its round ears and long snout!

Living alone

An Asian black bear usually lives alone.
Moms and cubs stay together for about a year and a half, and then the cubs go out on their own.
They walk all around the big forest to look for food.

Color the Black Fur with Dark Gray

The Asian black bear is a black bear.
If you color it completely solid black, you won't be able to see its face or the lines of its fur.
If you color it with dark gray or dark brown, and make the edges of the fur a little darker, it will look nice and fluffy!

Leave the Moon Marking on the Chest White

Leave the crescent moon pattern on its chest uncolored so it stays white, or color it with a light cream color.
If you color around it in black, the moon marking will really stand out!

The Face and Snout

The snout is a slightly lighter brown or dark brown than the body.
Color the eyes with dark brown and leave a little bit of white light in them to give it a gentle face.
Try coloring the inside of the mouth light pink!

Trees, Rocks, and Grass

Color the tree trunk in the second picture with light brown or gray, and color the rocks in the background with light gray.
Color the grass by its feet in the first picture with green to make it look like a real forest bear!
If you want to make it an autumn forest, you can even draw acorns around it.

Follow the Lines for the Direction of the Fur

The bear's fur grows along the curves of its body.
If you move your colored pencils along the direction of the fur lines from its back to its legs, it will look just like the real thing!
Trace the zigzag edges with a slightly darker color to make the fur look fluffy.

Color the Claws Carefully, Too

Color the front claws in the second picture with dark gray or black.
Leave a little bit of white at the tips of the claws to make them look shiny!
Take your time coloring the paws grabbing the tree trunk.

How to Avoid Meeting an Asian Black Bear

When you go to the mountains or the forest, you can ring an Asian black bear bell or talk as you walk.
When an Asian black bear hears people, it will usually walk away on its own.
If you see one, do not shout or run. Just back away slowly.

Babies Are Very Small

Babies born during winter sleep are so tiny they can fit in the palm of your hand.
They drink their mother's milk, grow bigger by spring, and come out of the den together.

Some Asian Black Bears Look Reddish

An Asian black bear is usually black, but some have reddish-brown fur.
Even within the same kind, fur colors can be different!

They Can Run Fast Too

An Asian black bear might look slow, but it can run very fast!
It can run much faster than a human.
So, if you meet one, you must never run away.

Years with Many Tree Nuts, Years with Few

There are years when lots of acorns grow, and years when only a few grow.
In years with few acorns, they might come near places where people live to look for food.