What animal is depicted on the coat of arms of Berlin, Germany?

The coat of arms of Berlin is used by the German city-state as well as the city itself. Introduced in 1954 for West Berlin, it shows a black bear on a white shield.

On top of the shield, there is a special crown, created by the amalgamation of the mural crown of a city with the so-called people's crown (Volkskrone), used in Germany to denote a republic.

The bear has been used as a charge in the Berlin's coat of arms since 1709, formerly alongside the eagles of Brandenburg and Prussia. A bear occurs on seals, coins, and signet rings from as early as the late 12th century, presumably due to a canting association with the city's name. The bear has come to be used as the mascot of Berlin and was used almost excessively by local authorities. There were complaints about the excesses of variation in the bear, especially deviation from the Prussian tincture of black on white.

The bear has remained the city's mascot, and in 2001 has been developed into the so-called "Berlin Buddy Bears", fiberglass sculptures of bears and have been used to promote the qualities of "tolerance" and Weltoffenheit (cosmopolitanism) associated with the city.