09/14/2026
Most hunters will go their entire lives without ever seeing a black bear like this. This incredibly rare piebald black bear was caught on camera in southwest Washington near the Shoalwater Bay Reservation, with a black-and-white coat that looks almost unreal.
The coloration comes from piebaldism, a genetic condition that causes certain areas of the animal’s coat to lack pigment. It isn’t albinism, and it’s also different from the famous white Kermode “spirit bears” found farther north. True piebald black bears are so rare that there are only a handful of well-documented examples.
Black bears already come in everything from jet black to cinnamon, chocolate brown and even blonde, but this is on another level. Washington has a large black bear population, yet a bear with markings like this is still an absolute freak of nature. Imagine checking your trail camera and seeing this thing standing there.
— Stephen Ziegler
Outdoor writer | Member, Hunter Nation
