Bears are amazing, beautiful creatures, that wander through the wilds on every continent, except Africa. Bears are rare to see, but memorable when found. There are eight species of bear in our world, including the Asiatic bear that lives in Asia, the sloth bear who lives in the tropical rainforests of India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal, the Spectacle bear living in South America, the Panda bear which lives in the mountains of central China, and the Sun bear who lives in the tropical forests of southeast Asia.

In North America, there are three types of bear: black bear, brown bear, and polar bear. While bear attacks are uncommon, high human populations near the natural habitats of these North American bears make them among the most common for humans to have contact with. Thus, if you plan to backpack or hike in the woods of North America, or the tundra of the arctic, it is imperative that you understand how to behave, should you have a close encounter of the bear kind.

Black bears and brown bears (of which the grizzly bear is one sub-species) sometimes find themselves living close to human populations. In some areas, this becomes a problem when these bear begin to dumpster dive, learning to associate humans with food. Furthermore, some researchers believe that polar bears actually hunt humans as food; if this is true, then the polar bear would be the only animal known to view humans as potential prey. Bear can also attack when they feel threatened, or if they fear for the safety of their cubs.

The best way to handle a bear is to stay away. When walking through bear populated areas, be noisy – whistle, sing, talk – let the bear know you are coming, and they will likely avoid you. When you are lucky enough to see one of these beautiful creatures in the wild, maintain your distance; stay at least 100 yards away. Should you find yourself closer than this, do not panic. Avoid eye contact with the bear. Then, slowly try to make yourself look larger, more of a threat. You can do this by raising your jacket up over your head, your arms spread wide. Then, being sure to make no eye contact, slowly move away. Do not run.

When you do encounter a bear, immediately attempt to identify it, again, without making eye contact. A polar bear is probably easy to identify (white, very furry, 8-11 feet long, up to 1000 pounds), but black bear and brown bear can be a bit more challenging to separate, especially since a black bear is not necessarily black. The black bear is usually 5-6 feet long, weighing 200-300 pounds. They can be black, brown, creamy white, or even a shade of grayish-blue. The brown bear is much larger, measuring up to 6 feet and weighing up to 500 pounds. Brown bears usually have a hump of fat on their back, near the shoulders.

Should you find yourself within 30 feet of a black bear, again, slowly make yourself larger, speak softly, avoid eye contact, and slowly back away. If the bear actually begins to charge you, with this type of bear your only viable option is to fight back. It probably sounds crazy, but black bear are skillful climbers, so trees are not an escape option. And this bear can run up to 25 miles per hour, so running is not an option. But most bear that would attack humans are probably young, inexperienced, perhaps injured, and it is quite possible that fighting back (throwing rocks, hitting with sticks, punching) could intimidate them enough to send them away.

Should you find yourself within 30 feet of a brown bear or polar bear, the best option is to play dead. Simply lay down, laying flat on your stomach, protecting the back of your neck with both hands, and keeping your legs closed. Stay “dead” until you are sure that the bear is totally out of eyesight.

Bear attacks are exceedingly rare. They can also be actively avoided by simply staying out of bears’ way, and making noise while moving through bear laden areas. If you find yourself near a bear, avoid eye contact, but identify the type of bear, and know how to react differently to brown bear or polar bear versus black bear, on the off chance that they actually attack.