Breeds of bears with photographs and names. Different types of bears

Bears are powerful predatory animals with thick paws with downward-curved claws. When walking, they step on their entire foot, which is why they are called “plantigrade.” Maximum speed, which that predator can develop - fifty kilometers per hour.

Characteristics of different types of bears

According to the research, these predatory animals appeared on Earth about five or six million years ago. Scientists now identify 8 species in the bear family:

brown bear,
Himalayan,
big panda,
polar bear,
sloth bear,
baribal,
spectacled,
Malay.

All species of these predators have their own diet. For example, a polar bear consumes exclusively meat, a panda consumes only plants, while others feast on berries, fruits, plants, insects, and meat.

All types of bears have the same appearance, almost the same size and similar structure. Bears are the largest mammalian predators living on earth.

Popular brown bear

This is the most numerous species, since it can adapt to completely different conditions and places of residence. They can be found in desert and mountainous areas, in dense taiga and even beyond the Arctic Circle. In ancient times, these bears also lived in Japan, but now this type of bear has completely disappeared from the Land of the Rising Sun.

There are few such bears in the western and central parts of Europe, they can only be found in mountainous areas. Scientists seriously believe that this species of bear here is on the verge of extinction. But in the regions of the Far East and Siberia, brown bears live happily because large quantity variety of food.

Due to their large habitat, these bears have acquired numerous subspecies that differ in appearance and size. The weight of representatives of various subspecies of brown bears starts from one hundred kilograms and can even reach one ton.

Subspecies of this species of large predators include:

Ussuri and Kamchatka bears,
american grizzly bear,
brown European bears.

Wool color This type of bear varies from light fawn to very dark brown. The body length of these clubfooted animals is in the range of 200-280 centimeters.

Brown predators lead sedentary image life, a piece of land where one bear lives stretches for tens of kilometers. However, the beast does not really protect the borders of its “domains,” but in this area there are places where the predator looks for food and makes dens, visits to which by other animals are immediately stopped by the owner.

IN winter time Brown bears hibernate every year. By that time the den, hidden from prying eyes in a poorly accessible place, must be equipped. To do this, the bear places moss or dry grass on its bottom. Before hibernation, the bear must gain at least fifty kilograms subcutaneous fat. To achieve this, the bear must consume about seven hundred kilograms of various berries and about five hundred kilograms of pine nuts. And this is all in addition to other types of food.

The bear's diet is mainly berries, nuts, fruits, roots, and grains. Sometimes ants, insects and their larvae, and small rodents appear on their menu. Males can also catch small ungulates that live in the forest.

A brown bear's sleep during hibernation is quite light, but you should not wake him up, since a bear that has not slept well poses a great danger. During hibernation, cardiac and breathing activity the clubfoot predator slows down several times, the breaks between inhalations and exhalations can be up to 4 minutes. Body temperature also drops, it is in the range of 29-34 degrees. This condition allows the predator to use fat reserves more economically.

Dangerous Himalayan bear

This type of bear also called the Asiatic black bear. The Himalayan bear is somewhat smaller in size than the brown one, and its structure is slimmer. He has a more graceful build, a slightly elongated muzzle and large ears. This species of predator lives in mountainous and hilly areas East Asia, from menacing Iran to welcoming Japan. You can meet the Asian bear in Indochina, the southern Himalayas, and Afghanistan. In Russia, this type of bear can be seen only in the Ussuri region, beyond the Amur, in the northern region.

Himalayan bears are jet black with a white or yellowish spot on the chest, their hair is thick, in the head and neck area the hair is longer and slightly raised, forming a kind of mane . Their individuals can reach a length of 170 centimeters, their Weight Limit– 140 kilograms. Basically these bears lead wood image life, so their claws are strong and sharp, thanks to which they cling well to branches.

The diet of the Himalayan representative of the bear family is based on plants. In summer, it eats fresh grass, plant bulbs, roots, berries, and insects. In spring, its diet is dominated by pine nuts and acorns left on the ground from last year. These bears have a big sweet tooth and will never refuse to enjoy the honey of wild bees or raid an apiary. Sometimes the diet of the Asian bear is enriched with the meat of ungulates, rodents and amphibians.

This type of clubfoot predator poses a danger to people, since these bears are very brave and can compete for prey with both the Bengal tiger and the leopard. In Asian countries, many cases of Himalayan bears attacking livestock have been recorded.

Cute big panda

Pandas live in the forests of central and western China and are protected by the state due to their small population. The birth of each new panda is recorded and considered a joyful event.

These bears have an interesting black and white color., they reach a length of 120 cm, their maximum weight is 160 kg. They have a dense body with big head, their paws are short with small claws. For a long time, scientists argued about which family to “identify” pandas into – the bear family, or the raccoon family. But as a result of numerous studies, it turned out that the body structure of a panda corresponds to a bear, although they have some features that are characteristic of raccoons.

Pandas are slow and thoughtful, so they prefer to live alone, however, in the spring they still get closer to individuals of the opposite sex to mate.

Pandas feed mostly on fresh bamboo shoots, but sometimes they can feast on other plants or fish.

Mighty polar bear

The polar bear is the largest a representative of the bear family. The weight of individuals ranges from 300-800 kilograms. Moreover, females can reach only 400 kilograms, while males are larger, and some of their representatives can weigh up to a ton. The body length of such a bear can be up to 3 meters.

White predators live in the northern hemisphere, with large specimens living near the Bering Sea, and less prominent ones in Spitsbergen. These bears have longer hair compared to other species and a flat skull structure. Their fur is white, but sometimes under sun rays it takes on a yellowish tone; the skin of polar bears is black.

The diet of this type of predator contains almost no plant food. The main “dish” on the menu of polar bears are seals, but they do not disdain birds, walruses, rodents, and whales that happen to be on the shore.

Polar bears pose a huge danger to polar explorers. If other types of bears almost never attack people first, then their white counterparts can specifically hunt down a person.

The sloth bear is a resident of tropical countries

The habitat of the sloth bear is the wooded areas of the island of Ceylon, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. It's a slim look bears with long paws, which are crowned with large and sharp claws. His coat is thick, long, black in color with a V-shaped white mark on his chest, growing in different sides, so the bear has a rather unkempt appearance. Its muzzle has a pointed appearance, its lips are long, and when eating, the bear folds its lips in such a way that various funny grimaces are obtained.

The sloth bear reaches a length of 180 centimeters, and its weight is within 140 kilograms. During the day, he prefers to sleep soundly, while snoring very loudly, and looks for food for himself at night.

These bears eat mainly tree fruits and insects. At the same time, he gets insects by blowing them out of the bark of trees, and then strongly drawing them along with the air into his mouth. Sharp claws also help in catching insects and their larvae, with which the bear easily breaks rotten trees.

Black baribal

Baribal lives in North America, in Canada, Alaska, in the area Pacific Ocean and Atlantic. Baribal resembles a brown bear, but its fur color is black, its muzzle is more elongated and yellowish in color, and its size is somewhat smaller than that of its brown counterpart. The body of the baribal is 180 centimeters long, and its weight is around 120-150 kilograms.

This bear has long claws that allow it to climb trees well. The black baribal eats only food plant origin, but its diet also includes insects, their larvae, and small vertebrates.

Spectacled bear: South American resident

This species of clubfoot predator lives in the highlands of the South American continent. Its body length reaches 170 centimeters, and its weight ranges from 70-140 kilograms. In addition, this bear has an impressive tail, its length is about 10 centimeters. The bear has thick black or black-brown fur, and its face is decorated with white spots that look as if the bear is wearing dark glasses.

Spectacled bears are listed in the Red Book; their population is small, so this type of bear has been studied rather poorly. This bear feeds exclusively on berries, herbs, fruits and roots. It lives in dens, but can settle in a tree for several days, having built a special nest there from branches bent under itself, and feed on juicy leaves or fruits.

Little Malayan bear

The smallest member of the family bear - this is the Malayan bear, or biruang. The length of his body reaches only 140 centimeters, and his weight is within 65 kilograms. The “baby” lives in eastern India and further to Indonesia.

The biruang's coat is short, smooth, and resembles black plush. The muzzle is shortened and colored either orange or gray, there is a horseshoe-shaped marking of orange or white on the chest. Its paws are quite wide, and its claws are strong and curved.

The Malayan bear is nocturnal, and during the day it sleeps peacefully on a tree under the warm sun. The bear eats everything:

plant shoots,
fruit,
insects,
small rodents.

Bears or bears (lat. Ursidae) are a family that includes mammals from the order of predatory animals. The difference between all bears and other canine-like animals is their stockier and well-developed physique.

Description of the bear

All mammals from the order Carnivora originate from a group of marten-like primitive predators known as miacidae, which lived in the Paleocene and Eocene. All bears belong to the fairly numerous suborder Caniformia. It is assumed that all well-known representatives of this suborder descended from one dog-like ancestor, common to all species of such animals.

Relative to other families from the order of predatory animals, bears are animals with the greatest uniformity in appearance, size, and are also similar in many features in their internal structure. All bears are among the largest representatives of modern terrestrial predatory animals. The body length of an adult polar bear reaches three meters with a weight ranging from 720-890 kg, and the Malayan bear is one of the smallest representatives of the family, and its length does not exceed one and a half meters with a body weight of 27-65 kg.

Appearance, colors

Male bears are approximately 10-20% larger than females, and in a polar bear such figures can be even 150% or more. The animal's fur has a developed and fairly coarse undercoat. The tall, sometimes shaggy type of hair in most species has a pronounced density, and the fur of the Malayan bear is low and quite sparse.

The fur color is uniform, from coal-black to whitish. The exception is, which has a characteristic contrasting black and white color. There may be light markings in the chest area or around the eyes. Some species are characterized by individual and so-called geographical variability in fur color. Bears exhibit marked seasonal dimorphism, expressed by changes in height and density of fur.

All representatives of the Bear family are distinguished by their stocky and powerful bodies, often with fairly high and pronounced withers. Also characteristic are strong and well-developed, five-fingered paws with large non-retractable claws. The claws are controlled by powerful muscles, thanks to which animals climb trees, dig the ground, and easily tear apart prey. The length of grizzly claws reaches 13-15 cm. Gait beast of prey plantigrade type, characteristically shuffling. The giant panda has a sixth additional “finger” on its front paws, which is an outgrowth of the sesamoid radius bone.

The tail part is very short, almost invisible under the fur covering. The exception is the giant panda, which has a fairly long and clearly visible tail. Any bear has relatively small eyes, a large head located on a thick and, as a rule, short neck. The skull is large, most often with an elongated facial part and highly developed ridges.

This is interesting! Bears have a highly developed sense of smell, and in some species it is quite comparable to a dog’s sense of smell, but such numerous and large predators an order of magnitude weaker.

The zygomatic arches are most often slightly spaced in different directions, and the jaws are powerful, providing very high levels of bite force. All representatives of the Bear family are characterized by the presence of large fangs and incisors, and the remaining teeth may be partially reduced, but their appearance and structure most often depend on the type of food. Total quantity teeth can vary between 32-42 pieces. The presence of individual or age-related variability in the dental system is often observed.

Character and lifestyle

Bears are typical predators leading a solitary lifestyle, so such animals prefer to meet each other solely for the purpose of mating. Males, as a rule, behave aggressively and are capable of killing cubs that are near the female for a long time. Representatives of the Bear family are distinguished by their good adaptability to a variety of living conditions, therefore they are able to inhabit high mountain areas, forest zones, arctic ice and steppe, and the main differences lie in the way of nutrition and lifestyle.

A significant portion of bear species live in lowland and mountain forest zones of temperate or tropical latitudes. The predator is somewhat less common in high mountain areas without dense vegetation. Some species are characterized by a clear affinity to the aquatic environment, including mountain or forest streams, rivers and sea coasts. The Arctic, as well as vast expanses

This is interesting! Arctic Ocean - natural environment habitat of polar bears, and the lifestyle of an ordinary brown bear is associated with subtropical forests, taiga, steppes and tundra, desert areas.

Most bears fall into the category of terrestrial carnivores, but polar bears are semi-aquatic members of the family. Malayan bears are typical adherents of a semi-arboreal lifestyle, therefore they are able to climb trees perfectly and create a shelter for themselves or the so-called “nest”. Some species of bears choose holes near the root system of trees and crevices of sufficient size as their habitat.

As a rule, representatives of the Bear family and the Carnivora order are nocturnal, so they rarely go out hunting in the daytime. However, polar bears may be considered an exception to such general rules. Predatory mammals leading a solitary lifestyle unite during the “ mating games"and mating, as well as for raising their offspring. Among other things, groups of such animals are observed at common watering places and traditional feeding areas.

How long do bears live?

The average life expectancy of bears in nature can vary depending on the species characteristics of this predatory mammal:

Spectacled bears – two decades;
Apennine brown bears - up to twenty years;
Tien Shan brown bears - up to twenty years or a quarter of a century;
Polar polar bears - just over a quarter of a century;
Gubachi - just under twenty years old.

In captivity, the average life expectancy of a predatory mammal, as a rule, is noticeably longer. For example, brown bears can live in captivity for more than 40-45 years.

Types of bears

Area, distribution

Spectacled bears are the only representatives of the Bear family that inhabit South America, where the predator prefers the mountain forests of Venezuela and Ecuador, Colombia and Peru, as well as Bolivia and Panama. - inhabitant of the Lena, Kolyma and Anadyr river basins, most of Eastern Siberia and the Stanovoy Range, Northern Mongolia, some regions of China and the border territory of Eastern Kazakhstan.

Grizzly bears are found primarily in western Canada and Alaska, and small quantity individuals survive in continental America, including Montana and northwestern Washington. Tien Shan brown bears are found on the Tien Shan ridges, as well as in the Dzungarian Alatau, which has peripheral mountain ranges, and Mazalai are found in the desert mountains of Tsagan-Bogdo and Atas-Bogdo, where sparse bushes and drainage dry riverbeds are located.

Polar bears are distributed circumpolarly, and live in the circumpolar regions in the northern hemisphere of our planet. White-breasted Himalayan bears prefer hilly and mountain forests of Iran and Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Himalayas, all the way to Japan and Korea. Representatives of the species in the Himalayas in summer rise to a height of three and even four thousand meters, and with the onset of cold weather they descend to the mountain foot.

Sponge whales live mainly in the tropics and subtropical forests India and Pakistan, in Sri Lanka and Nepal, as well as in Bangladesh and Bhutan. Biruangs are distributed from the northeastern part of India to Indonesia, including Sumatra and Kalimantan, and the subspecies Helarctos malayanus euryspilus inhabits the island of Borneo.

Bears in the planet's ecosystem

All representatives of the Bear family, due to their diet and impressive size, have a very noticeable impact on the fauna and flora in their habitats. The polar and brown bear species are involved in regulating the total number of ungulates and other animals.

All herbivorous bear species contribute to the active distribution of seeds of many plants. Polar bears are often accompanied by Arctic foxes, which eat their prey.

Bear diet

Spectacled bears are the most herbivorous in the family, and their main diet includes grassy shoots, fruits and rhizomes of plants, corn crops, and sometimes insects in the form of ants or termites. An important role in the diet of the Siberian bear is played by fish, and Kodiaks are omnivores, feeding on both herbaceous plants, berries and roots, and meat foods, including fish and all kinds of carrion.

Pika-eating bears or Tibetan brown bears feed mainly on herbaceous plants, as well as pikas, which is how they got their name. The main prey of polar bears is the ringed seal, sea hare, walruses and many other marine animals. The predator does not disdain carrion, willingly feeds on dead fish, eggs and chicks, can eat grass and all kinds of seaweed, and in inhabited areas it looks for food in numerous garbage dumps.

The diet of white-breasted or Himalayan bears is 80-85% made up of products of plant origin, but the predator is capable of eating ants and other insects, as well as highly nutritious mollusks and even frogs. Sloth bears, like , are adapted to eating primarily colonial insects, including termites and ants. All biruangs are omnivorous, but primarily feed on insects, including bees and termites, as well as fruits and shoots, earthworms and plant rhizomes.

The bear family (Ursidae) includes the largest of modern land predators. Most taxonomists believe that there are currently eight species of bears on Earth (they are in turn divided into many different subspecies), belonging to three different branches.

Bears are found on all continents except Africa, Australia and Antarctica. Three species of bears - spectacled, sloth and Malayan - live in the tropics, but the center of origin of the bear family is in the Northern Hemisphere. Long ago, the brown bear was also found in the Atlas Mountains in northwest Africa.

Bears are predominantly inhabitants various types forests and woodlands. One species, the polar bear, inhabits Arctic deserts and ice.

The most likely ancestors of modern bears were small predators that lived 25 million years ago (subfamily Agriotheriinae). The oldest representative of this group, Ursavus elmensis, had long tail and looked like a raccoon, but the animals are more late period already resembled modern bears both in size and appearance. This group gave rise to three modern subfamilies. The giant panda was the first to separate from the common trunk, then the real bears (Ursus and its relatives) and spectacled bears (Tremarctos) separated.

Depending on the species, the body length of a predator can vary from 1 to 3 meters, the weight of individual individuals is white and brown bears can reach up to 1000 kg. Males are much larger than females.

Bears have a heavy, awkward build. To support the large mass, their hind limbs are plantigrade (when walking, the entire sole is pressed to the ground). This also allows them to rise and stand freely on their hind legs. The structure of the front paws is different in different types of bears - from plantigrade to semidigital (the back of the foot is partially raised above the ground). All species have five toes on each paw, equipped with curved, non-retractable claws.

The skull of bears is massive, larger than that of other predators; facial section medium length or shortened (especially in spectacled bears). Wide molars with flat chewing surfaces and rounded fangs are well adapted for crushing and grinding plant foods. Polar bears are exclusively carnivores, which is why their teeth are sharper. Depending on the species, bears have 40-42 teeth.

Bears' fur is thick and long; The color is usually dark, monochromatic, from brown to black (as an exception, white or contrasting two-color), sometimes with a light pattern on the head and chest. The tail is very short; ears are small, round; the lips are large and very mobile.

Polar bears and most brown bears of the New World do not climb trees, only European browns and all other species climb trees where they feed or sleep, but they still prefer to spend most of their time on the ground. For tree-climbing predators, bears have surprising features - their tails are too short and their facial whiskers are completely absent.

Most species of bears are non-specialized omnivores that feed on berries, nuts, shoots, rhizomes and leaves of plants, as well as meat, fish and insects. They have an excellent sense of smell, color vision and good memory, which allows them to remember places rich in food. It should be noted that bears do not digest plant food very well, since their gastrointestinal tract does not contain symbiotic microorganisms capable of decomposing fiber (these bacteria are found in the stomach of ruminants). That's why vegetable fibers and the berries are excreted from the body almost undigested.

Photos and descriptions of modern bear species

Now let’s take a closer look at each of the eight species of bears.

The brown bear or common bear (Ursus arctos) is a typical representative of the bear family; found in Russia, Canada and Alaska. Prefers to settle in old forest areas, avoids wide open spaces, but can also live at an altitude of up to 5000 meters above sea level, where there are no longer forests. Habitats are usually confined to freshwater bodies of water.

The brown bear is a large animal: its body length is 1.5-2.8 m, its height at the shoulders is up to 1.5 m. Males weigh from 60 to 800 kg. The weight of adult predators varies depending on the time of year and geographic habitat. The smallest is the pika from the mountains of Central Asia, and the largest is the Kodiak from Alaska and Kamchatka.

The photo shows a brown bear in all its glory.

Polar bear

The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is the largest living member of the family. Its body length is 2-2.5 m, height at the withers is about 1.5 m, body weight is on average 350–450 kg, but there are also giants with a body weight of more than 500 kg.

Distributed on the Arctic coast of the Arctic Ocean, in Northern Canada.

The color of the fur is pure white, often yellowish due to contamination with fat, especially in summer. The fur is thick and warm, but the main warming function is played by a thick layer of subcutaneous fat.

The polar bear is the only member of the family that lives exclusively on a meat diet. He hunts young walruses, ringed seals, sea hares, beluga whales and narwhals.

In the photo polar bear with cubs. The female usually gives birth to two cubs once every 3 years. You can read more about polar bears in the article.

black bear

The black bear or baribal (Ursus americanus) is found in Canada, Northern Mexico, the USA, except the central part of the Great Plains. Lives in dense forests, bushes, and also in more open areas.

The size of the black bear varies depending on geographic location and season. In the northern and eastern regions of its range, the baribal is larger. Their body length varies from 1.2 to 1.9 meters, height at the withers - from 0.7 to 1 meter.

The photo shows a black bear on a tree. The ability to climb trees is vital for baribals - here they feed and hide in case of danger.

The Himalayan or white-breasted bear (Ursus thibetanus) is found from Iran to Southeast Asia, in Northern China, Primorye, Japan and Taiwan. Prefers to live in forests temperate zone, subtropics and tropics.

Body length is 1.2-1.9 meters, weight of males is 60-200 kg, females are 40-140 kg. Because of its long fur, the Himalayan bear appears much larger than it actually is. The coat is black with a white V-shaped mark on the chest, another mark is on the chin; There is a collar of long wool around the neck. Apparently, the collar plays a role in protection from predators, because this species has always coexisted next to the tiger.

The white-breasted bear is an excellent tree climber and often builds something resembling a nest by bending branches to the trunk.

The Himalayan bear is a rare, vulnerable species. For 3 thousand years now, people have been hunting it for its paws and gall bladder (dried bile is used in traditional Chinese medicine).

The life expectancy of the Himalayan bear is up to 25 years in the wild and up to 37 years in captivity.

Malayan bear

The Malayan bear or biruang (Helarctos malayanus) is the smallest species of bear, sometimes called the “dog bear”. Due to their small size and friendly disposition, Buriangs are often kept in captivity as pets in Asia. Their body length does not exceed 140 cm, they weigh 27-65 kilograms. Malayan bears have short, black fur with a white, orange, or dark yellow crescent-shaped chest marking.

Malayan bears are found in Southeast Asia and Eastern India. Their life is closely connected with trees, where they often sleep in specially built nests. They feed mainly on various fruits, but if such food is not enough, they switch to insects.

Malayan bears are diurnal. They breed at any time of the year, and the duration of pregnancy varies greatly (from 3 to 8 months).

In captivity, the Malayan bear can live up to 33 years.

The sloth bear (Melursus ursinus) lives in India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka. Found mainly in lowland forests and steppes.

Body length – 1.4-1.9 meters, weight – 80-190 kg. The sponge's coat is long, thick, black with a white spot on the chest. Its claws are slightly curved, its palate is wide, and its lips are elongated (this is how it got its name). These devices help the sloth fish dig up and suck up termites, which make up a significant part of its diet. And it received its generic name (Melursus) for its special love for honey: it often climbs trees and is ready to endure bee stings just to feast on honeycombs. In addition to termites, other various insects and honey, the sloth fish eats berries with pleasure.

The sloth fish has long fur, which is quite surprising for a species living in the tropical forest. Apparently, it plays the same role as the loose clothing worn by people living in hot climates.

The sloth bear is a vulnerable species. In captivity, life expectancy is up to 34 years.

Spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus) Lives in the Andes from eastern Venezuela to the border of Bolivia and Argentina. It is found in a wide variety of biotypes: in mountain and tropical rainforests, alpine meadows and even in deserts.

Body length – 1.3-2.0 meters, weight – 100-200 kg. The coat is black with a creamy-white bib-like marking on the chin, neck, and chest; there are white markings of various shapes around the eyes (hence the name bear).

The spectacled bear is a rather slender animal. Despite its relatively large size, it is agile and climbs trees well, where it gets food and builds resting nests from branches and twigs.

In different habitats, the diet of spectacled bears varies, but everywhere food of plant origin predominates (fruits, bamboo, cacti, etc.). They also enter fields of grain crops and corn, which greatly annoys farmers.

In captivity, the spectacled bear lives up to 39 years.

Giant panda

Giant panda or bamboo bear ( Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is found in Sichuan, Shanxi and Gansu provinces of central and western China. Prefers cool, damp bamboo forests at an altitude of 1500-3400 meters above sea level.

The height of a giant panda at the withers is 70-80 cm, weight is 100-150 kg. The fur of the bamboo bear is black and white (the circles around the eyes, the area around the nose, the front and back legs and shoulders are black, everything else is white).

The diet consists primarily of bamboo; Occasionally, pandas eat bulbs of various plants, cereals, insects and rodents.

In the wild, a panda usually lives up to 20 years, in captivity - up to 30 years.

Today, enormous efforts have been made to preserve the giant panda, however, despite the most stringent ban, the animals still become victims of poachers. They also fall into traps set for other animals. Read more about giant panda read .

What types of bears are the most dangerous?

Bears are often spoken of as aggressive and dangerous animals. Indeed, their strength and size allow them to easily cope with humans, but the tendency of bears to attack people is greatly exaggerated.

Only polar bears, being true predators, are perhaps the only representatives of the family that actually sometimes perceive a person as prey, while tracking him down according to all the rules of hunting. Their attacks are caused by hunger, not fear. It is polar bears that are considered the most dangerous to humans. However, not many people live near polar bears, and people, knowing who they might have to deal with, always carry weapons with them.

Brown bears are in second place in terms of danger to humans, but their aggressiveness largely depends on geographical location habitat. Grizzlies in the center of the American continent, as well as bears living in Siberia, are truly dangerous. This is especially true for mother bears who protect their cubs, or animals who defend their prey. IN eastern regions In Europe there are more aggressive individuals. But in general, all bears, like other wild animals, try not to get in the way of humans and, if possible, avoid meeting them.

American black bears, especially those that live close to humans, often frighten people, but very rarely cause them any harm.

Spectacled bears are very careful and are absolutely not aggressive towards humans, but it happens that they attack livestock.

Among the Asian bears, only the giant panda is a true vegetarian, and naturally does not pose any danger to humans.

Malayan bears often frighten local residents. If they are accidentally disturbed, they usually rear up, let out a furious roar and make a sharp lunge towards the enemy, but they rarely actually attack.

Himalayan bears and sloth bears, which often have to fight off large cats, are more likely to attack than to flee. Many people believe that sloth bears are more dangerous than tigers.

Literature: Mammals: Complete illustrated encyclopedia /Translated from English/ Book. I. Carnivores, marine mammals, primates, tupayas, woolly wings. / Ed. D. MacDonald. – M: “Omega”, - 2007.

Bears are considered the largest predators currently living on our planet. Despite this, they are more likely than other carnivorous mammals to prefer plant foods over animal meat.

Appearance of the bear

Teeth and Claws: Bears' fangs are quite powerful, like those of other predatory animals. Molars have a flat, uneven surface that is easy to chew. This is due to a mixed diet; bears eat both animal and plant foods. Each paw has five long toes with large, sharp claws that do not retract. With the help of this tool, bears dig up edible roots and fruits from the ground. In addition, the predator uses its sharp claws to tear its prey into small pieces.

Sense organs: Bears have small eyes set close to each other. The fields of vision of both eyes overlap, so the animal sees objects in volume. In general, bears have poor eyesight. Hearing is also not very well developed. The bear has a better developed sense of smell. The bear will often stand on its hind legs and move its head to explore with its nose and gain information about its surroundings.

Communication: Bears communicate with each other using sounds and body movements. For example, the position of an animal's ears conveys information about the owner's mood. Having met, the bears raise their heads to each other and growl without opening their mouths. The bear's flat teeth can grind any food. A giant brown bear catches fish in the rivers.

Travel methods: Bears have fairly short limbs. They walk using the entire surface of their feet. Bears' paws are curved in the shape of the letter "O", so these animals have club feet and walk, waddling from side to side. But when danger arises or when chasing prey, bears are able to trot and even gallop. In case of danger, the bear stands on its hind legs. Cubs and adults of some species climb trees and swim, and the polar bear is the only mammal that swims using only its forelimbs.
Body Structure: Various They differ in size, but their structure is similar: a powerful body, short strong legs, a massive head and a very short tail.

Coat: Bear fur comes in several types, from the thick yellowish-white coat of the polar bear to the long, fluffy coat of the Sloth. The fur of most types of bears is brown in color and perfectly camouflages animals in the forest.

Did you know? What is the giant brown bear living in the territory North America, in other languages called "Kodiak". This is the name of the island where these representatives of the subspecies are found. A bear standing on its hind legs can reach up to 3 m in height.
The polar bear can be found in the open sea at a distance of 80 km from the coast.
Bears walk slowly, waddling, but if necessary they can reach speeds of up to 50 km/h. The grizzly bear's menu consists of 80% plant foods.

The habitats of the polar bear and the arctic fox are located in the Far North. These are hardy mammals. Almost all bears are on the verge of extinction and are protected by law.
Once upon a time, there were many brown bears in Europe. Now their numbers have declined, but they still remain the most numerous species in the family. The polar bear was a subject of hunting in the past. People ate its meat and made clothes from its skin.
The polar bear has acclimatized better than other animals to the permafrost region.

Seven species of bears belonging to four genera live primarily in the Northern Hemisphere. Only the spectacled bear lives in the south. All bears, with the exception of the polar bear, which inhabits the snowy Arctic deserts, are inhabitants of dense forests. Their only enemy is man. Currently, only two species of bears are not threatened with extinction.

Origin of bears

The first bear, the ancestor of all modern species of bears, (Ursavus), lived on Earth 20 million years ago. It was the size of a small dog and inhabited the territory of modern Europe, where at that time a hot subtropical climate, rich in lavish vegetation, prevailed. Bears, along with foxes, dogs and raccoons, descend from their common ancestor - small predator family Miacidae, who lived 30-40 million years ago and climbed trees. As a result of evolution, new species of bears arose, which gradually became larger, larger and stronger. Many, including the cave bear, which was larger than modern bears, became extinct. The youngest species in the family is the polar bear, which appeared 70,000 years ago.

Spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus): body length 1.3-1.8 m. The only representative of the family in South America.
Malayan bear (Helarctos malayanus): body length 1-1.4 m. This small member of the family lives in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia. Rarely seen.
Slothfish (Melursus ursinus): body length 1.4-1.8 m. Lives in the jungles of India and Sri Lanka. Herbivorous. It collects termites and insects with its lips and tongue.
Polar bear (Ursus maritimus): body length 1.8-3 m. Inhabits northern regions Arctic, feeds mainly on seals.
Brown bear (Ursus arctos): 2-3 m long, lives in North America, Europe and Asia. There are several subspecies: grizzly bear, giant brown bear and European brown bear.
Baribal, black bear (Ursus americanus): body length 1.3-1.8 m, found in the forests of North America. Like other members of the family, it feeds on mixed food.
White-breasted bear (Ursus thibetanus): body length 1.4-2 m. Lives in forests and spends most of its time in trees. It feeds on herbs, fruits and berries.

Bear breeding

Bears live solitary lives, meeting only during the breeding season. The mating period, depending on the species, occurs at different times of the year. Some species of bears, in particular the Malayan, can breed throughout the year - they live in tropical rainforests, where they have plenty of food. In addition, the Malayan bear is a monogamous species. After mating, the male and female separate. Only the she-bear is responsible for raising her offspring.

The duration of pregnancy is 180-250 days and depends on the type of bear. A bear litter consists of 1-4 cubs, which are born blind, toothless, and covered with sparse hair. They spend at least a year in family nest feeding on mother's milk. The polar bear never lacks food and therefore does not fall into winter sleep. However, pregnant females and mothers with cubs hibernate. In the spring, the she-bear leaves her den, accompanied by fluffy and playful cubs. The cubs follow her relentlessly, learning to find food and recognize danger. Bears various types reach sexual maturity at the age of 2.5-5 years.

Lifestyle of bears

Bears are territorial animals. Each individual is the owner of a fairly large area, controls where it hunts and hibernates. Females live with their cubs for up to two years. Bears are avid loners, but in places rich in food, for example, in a berry meadow, several individuals can be found at once. Having had their fill, they disperse. But the bear has invaded someone else's territory and is awaiting a meeting with its owner, which could end in a clash. Searching for food takes a lot of time, so bears are active both day and night. Bears sleep in camouflaged shelters - dens, which are located in recesses under the roots of trees. A white-breasted bear makes a nest in a tree. Bears of the genus Ursus, living in cold climates, hibernate in winter. Winter sleep lasts from 78 to 200 days. Exact times vary by area. During hibernation, bears make a den for themselves among the windfall, under the roots of trees, or dig it on the slope of mountains and hills. They line and insulate their dens with grass, leaves and moss. Bears hibernate for a long time in order to survive the hungry winter period.

Bears have unique status among animals: not as cute as dogs or cats, not as dangerous as wolves or mountain lions, but majestic enough to inspire fear, admiration and even envy. In this article, you will discover 10 interesting facts about bears, from how they winter to the peculiarities of communication.

1. Bear family (Ursidae) includes 8 modern species

Species name	Area	Peculiarities
(Ursus americanus)	North America and Mexico	Smooth black fur and small body size, relative to brown bears. The muzzle is sharp, with a light spot. The diet consists mainly of leaves, buds, berries and nuts.
Himalayan or white-breasted bear (Ursus thibetanus)	Southeast Asia and Russian Far East	The coat color is black, with a yellowish-white spot on the chest. In behavior, body shape and diet they are similar to baribals.
(Ursus arctos)	North America, Europe and Asia	It is one of the largest terrestrial carnivorous mammals in the world, among the bear family. In terms of body size, inferior to to the polar bear. The coat color varies from cream to black and depends on the habitat.
(Ursus maritimus)	Arctic, northern Canada and Alaska.	A close relative of the brown bear. In terms of body size, inferior elephant seal. When polar bears are not living on drift ice or shorelines, they swim in open water, hunting seals and walruses.
(Aeluropoda melanoleuca)	central and southern regions of Western China	It feeds on bamboo, leaves and stems. This animal has a distinctive coat color: its ears, eyes, nose, front and hind limbs are black, and the rest of the body is white.
Gubach (Melursus ursinus)	southeast Asia	This type of bear has long, shaggy coats and white patches on the chest. They feed on termites, which they find using their keen sense of smell.
(Tremarctos ornatos)	South America	They are the only species of the family found in South America. They inhabit tropical forests at an altitude of more than 1000 meters. Spectacled bears once lived in coastal deserts and high mountain grasslands, but humans limited their geographic range. The fur is black, with light spots on the face, neck and chest.
Malayan bear or biruang (Helarctos malayanus)	southeast Asia	These are the smallest representatives of bears. Their fur is dark, smooth and short. The muzzle and limbs are light, and on the chest there is a white or red spot in the shape of a horseshoe. The tongue is thin and long.

2. All types of bears have similar anatomical features

There are some minor differences, but all eight species of bears described in the previous paragraph of this article have approximately the same appearance: large torsos, massive limbs, narrow muzzles, long hair, short tails and plantigrade walking (that is, bears, unlike most other mammals, walk on the ground on their entire foot, like humans). Most bears also eat a variety of animals, fruits and vegetables, with two important exceptions: the polar bear, to a greater extent carnivorous, and hunts seals and walruses, while the giant panda eats only vegetation, mainly bamboo (though, oddly enough, its digestive system is relatively well adapted to digesting meat).

3. Bears are solitary animals

Bears may be considered the most antisocial mammals in the world. Courtship between adult males and females is very brief, and after mating, the females go off to raise their young on their own for about three years and then mate again with the males. Adult bears are almost completely solitary, which is good news for tourists who happen upon a lone grizzly bear in the wild, but unusual phenomenon, considering that most other carnivorous and omnivorous mammals (from wolves to pigs) gather in at least small groups.

4. Pinnipeds are the closest relatives of bears

Considering the spread of so-called "bear dogs" millions of years ago, including a member of the amphicyon family, Amphicyon (see photo above), it can be assumed that modern bears most closely related to canids. In fact, molecular analysis shows that the closest living relatives of bears are pinnipeds, a family marine mammals, which includes seals and walruses. Both of these families of mammals descend from a common ancestor, ancestor, or "concestor," who lived briefly during the Eocene epoch, about 40-50 million years ago, although the precise identification of the ancestor species remains a matter of debate.

5. Bear (English "bear") is a derivative of the ancient German word brown ("brown")

Considering that the population medieval Europe did not have much contact with polar bears or pandas, it is logical that the peasants associated bears with the brown color - which originates from the ancient Germanic word "bera". Bears are also known as "ursines", a word that has even more ancient origin in Proto-Indo-European languages, and was used in 3500 BC.

This obsession with bears is quite natural, given that the first settlers of Eurasia lived in close proximity to cave bears and sometimes worshiped these animals as gods.

6. Most bears hibernate in winter.

Since the vast majority of bears live in high northern latitudes, they need a way to survive in winter months when food is dangerously scarce. Bears go into deep sleep for several months, during which their heart rate and metabolic processes slow down significantly. However, hibernation does not equate to coma: if a bear is awakened, it can wake up in the middle of its hibernation, and females can even give birth while in deep winter sleep.

There is evidence that cave lions hunted wintering cave bears during the last ice age. Some of these bears woke up and killed the intruders.

7. Bears are extremely vocal animals

Depending on the species, a bear's basic communication needs can be expressed by seven or eight different "sounds" - snorting, chomping, groaning, roaring, woofing, growling, purring and coughing. As you may have guessed, the most dangerous sounds for humans are roars and growls, which indicate a frightened or excited animal defending its territory. A bear snorts, as a rule, during the breeding season. Purrs are used by cubs demanding attention from their mothers (the sound is a little similar to cats, but much louder), and moans express anxiety or a sense of danger.

Giant pandas are a little different vocabulary than their bearish counterparts; in addition to the sounds described above, they may also chirp, scream and moo.

8. Bears exhibit sexual dimorphism

Like their close relatives, seals and walruses, bears exhibit marked sexual dimorphism: males are significantly larger than females, and the larger the male, the greater the difference in size. (A male brown bear, for example, weighs about 500 kg, and females are only slightly more than half his weight.) However, even though females are smaller than males; They are not at all helpless and quite energetically protect the cubs from male bears, not to mention any such stupid individuals who decide to interfere in the process of raising cubs.

Male bears sometimes attack and kill cubs of their own species in order to encourage females to reproduce again.

9. Bears are not suitable for domestication.

Over the past 10,000 years, humans have domesticated cats, dogs, pigs and cattle, so why not domesticate bears, animals with which Homo sapiens have coexisted since the end of the Pleistocene era? As described in point No. 3, bears are solitary animals, so there is no room for a human owner who wishes to take a dominant position in the hierarchy. In addition, bears have such a varied diet that it would be difficult to adhere to, even with a well-tamed animal.

Perhaps most importantly, bears are restless and aggressive, so there are no suitable bears to keep in your home or yard as pets!

10. Bears are one of the most endangered animals on Earth

Considering that early humans worshiped bears as gods, relations with ursines over the past few hundred years have left much to be desired. Bears are particularly susceptible to habitat destruction and sport hunting. They are killed when they encounter people in the wild. Today, the most endangered members of the bear family are pandas (due to deforestation and human encroachment) and polar bears (due to global warming); Although black and brown bear populations are of least concern, they may decline significantly as adverse interactions with humans increase and their habitat becomes increasingly depleted.

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