Bear with most subspecies

The bear species with the most subspecies is the brown bear Ursus arctos, native to Eurasia and North America. Based upon recent genetic analyses, this species is conventionally split into 19 modern-day subspecies, of which four are now extinct, leaving 15 surviving subspecies. These include such noteworthy forms as the red-furred Himalayan isabelline bear U. a. isabellinus, the whitish-blond Syrian brown bear U. a. syriacus, the now-extinct Atlas bear U. a. crowtheri (the only modern-day African bear), the Tibetan blue bear U. a. pruinosus, the common grizzly bear U. a. horribilis, the Kodiak bear U. a. middendorffi, and the and its now- living ancestor, the Kamchatka brown bear U. a. beringianus, as well as now-extinct California brown bear U. a. californicus.. In earlier times, before genetic techniques were available and when morphological differences were used as the principal basis for taxonomic delineation, as many as 90 subspecies of brown bear were recognized.

By comparison, the American black bear U. americanus is split into 16 modern-day subspecies, all of which still survive. These famously include Kermode's bear U. a. kermodei, also known as the spirit bear, because approximately 10% of all individuals are cream or pure-white in colour.