Bears of North America: Black Bears, Brown Bears, and Polar Bears

by Stan Tekiela

Get to know black bears, brown bears, and polar bears like never before—through Stan Tekiela’s wildlife photography, personal anecdotes, and years of research.


They are icons of our wild places. They are powerful and intimidating, yet they signify calmness, comfort, and peace. Bears are adored around the world. They are magnificent animals that capture our fascination. Enter the world of bears with award-winning author, naturalist, and wildlife photographer Stan Tekiela.


Crawling into black bear dens in northern Wisconsin, trekking across the Manitoba tundra in search of polar bears, traversing the Rocky Mountains in pursuit of grizzly bears, Stan spent more than 20 years traveling across the United States and Canada to observe and photograph bears. He documented every aspect of their major events such as mating and hibernation (torpor), as well as everyday activities including foraging, hunting, and socializing. The result is a striking portrayal of these mammals in Bears of North America. Stan’s extraordinary photographs depict the creatures in a new, unique fashion. The coffee-table book is pleasurable to browse and easy to read.


Accompany Stan on some of the greatest adventures of his life. Explore North America’s desolate areas with him, pursuing these resourceful animals. With his instinct for being in the right place at the right time, Stan utilizes rare opportunities to capture some of the most compelling images of his career. Through this book, you can share in his research and develop a new appreciation and respect for bears. Bears of North America is a must-have for lovers of wildlife and nature.

Genres: Nonfiction, Animals

160 pages, Paperback

Published September 12, 2023

About the author

Author, naturalist and wildlife photographer Stan Tekiela is the originator of the popular state-specific field guide series and many easy-to-use identification guides for the U.S. Over the last 30 years he has authored around 200 field guides, quick guides, nature books, children's books, wildlife audio CDs, puzzles and playing cards, presenting many species of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, trees, wildflowers and cacti found across the U.S. and in Canada.

Stan has a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural History from the University of Minnesota, and he has received national and regional awards for his books and photography. Also a well-known columnist and radio personality, his syndicated column appears in more than 25 newspapers and his wildlife programs are broadcast on a number of Midwest radio stations.

Stan leads instructional photo workshops and wildlife tours across the U.S. for both beginner and advanced photographers. He also gives detailed presentations about wildlife, complete with his award-winning photographs, to audiences of all sizes across the country.

Reviews

[Emmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one almost as much as Tekiela's book on Owls. Beautiful pictures of intelligent, sensitive creatures. This was a real pleasure to read and just to look at.

[Jordan Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love bears

[John C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific primer on the subject of bears

The author knows a great deal about bears, and the result is a very informative guide on the subject of bears. There are also many photographs that the author has included illustrating the species and sub species of bears and different aspects.
The book is well outlined and organized and answered many questions that I have had about bear behavior and biology.
I highly recommend this book.

[Stacey Huff · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very fun read. Very informational and incredible photographs

[MKF · Rating 2 out of 5]

Would have been better if it didn't get repetitive after a while.

[Jeff Bradford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bears are cool

[Jessi Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

probably unironically my favorite book of 2025 so far

[Jacob McDonnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

If bear not friend then why friend shaped?

[Ainsley Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mama G’s in it! She’s very protective of me like a grizzly bear. She also roars like one too