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- Overview
- Natural history
There are eight species of bears: the American black bear, the Asiatic black bear, the brown bear, the giant panda, the polar bear, the sloth bear, the spectacled bear, and the sun bear.
What do bears eat?
Bears are generally omnivorous, but dietary preferences range from seals for the entirely carnivorous polar bear (Ursus maritimus) to assorted vegetation for the largely herbivorous spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus). The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) eats only bamboo.
Which type of bear is the largest?
The largest bear is either the Kodiak bear, a subspecies of Alaskan brown bear, or the polar bear, depending upon which measurements are considered. Either of these bears can weigh up to 720 kilograms (1,600 pounds).
How long do bears live?
Ursids are mainly animals of northern temperate regions and are found farther north than any other mammal. The Arctic fox is found as far north on land, but the polar bear regularly roams on sea ice hundreds of kilometres from shore. Africa and Australia lack bears entirely. The spectacled bear of South America’s Andes Mountains is the only bear species that lives south of the Equator.
Although clumsy in appearance, bears can move surprisingly fast, even through dense cover that would seriously impede a human or a horse. Their senses of sight and hearing, however, are poorly developed, and most hunting is done by smell. Some, such as black bears and spectacled bears, are strong climbers, and all are strong swimmers, most notably the polar bear. Bears do not generally communicate by sound and usually are quiet, but they do growl at times when feeding, when being challenged by another bear or by humans, and when competing for mates.
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“Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!” Quiz
Except for the carnivorous polar bear and the vegetarian giant panda, ursids are omnivorous, consuming many items that seem small for an animal of such large size. Ants, bees, seeds of trees, roots, nuts, berries, insect larvae such as grubs, and even the dainty dogtooth violet are eaten. Many bears relish honey, and the sun bear is sometimes called the “honey bear” because of this. Prey taken by bears includes rodents, fish, deer, pigs, and seals. Grizzlies (a North American subspecies of the brown bear, Ursus arctos) are known for their skillful fishing during the spawning runs of salmon. The polar bear’s diet is dictated by the Arctic environment, as little vegetation grows within its range. The Asian sloth bear (Melursus ursinus) delights especially in raiding and destroying termite nests, sucking up termites and larvae with its funnel-like lips. The giant panda has a special bone formation of the forefoot that functions as a sixth digit; it is opposable to the other five and thus is useful in handling bamboo.
Most bears, including the American and Asiatic black bears (Ursus americanus and U. thibetanus), eat large amounts of food before entering a den for a period of deep sleep during the winter. The polar bear digs a den in the snow, whereas grizzlies build large mounds of dirt in front of their dens. Bears, however, lack the physiological characteristics (lower heart rate, body temperature, breathing rate, and blood pressure) exhibited by animals that truly hibernate.
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Bears are mammals that belong to the family Ursidae. They can be as small as four feet long and about 60 pounds (the sun bear) to as big as eight feet long and more than a thousand pounds (the...
- 4 min
Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae (/ ˈ ɜːr s ɪ d iː,-d aɪ /). They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout most of the Northern Hemisphere and partially in the Southern Hemisphere.
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