"Bear codes" are sometimes used in e-mail (often as part of a signature block), web postings, and online profiles to identify various bear-related attributes of the author or poster.

The Bear Code, which is actually "The Natural Bears Classification System" was developed by Jeff Stoner (a Front Range Bears member) of Boulder CO and Bob Donahue.

A sample bear code is:

B4 s- m g++ w d+c t+ f+ k+ r e+(+?)

The bear code was devised before graphic images were available on the Internet. This allowed people to quickly describe their physical characteristics and hunt for people who matched their desire. Familiarity with this classification system is concentrated in the subcommunity of bears who were early adopters of Internet communications, and is not widespread within the general community.

For a complete explanation

http://www.wuzzle.com/codebear.html