Bear Pages

• Bears, Black
  
  American black bears are found from Alaska, across Canada, down through much of the USA to northern Mexico. One very endangered white subspecies, known as the Kermode, or Spirit, bear is found only on coastal islands of British Columbia, Canada.
• Bears, Brown
  
  Although their actual name is brown bear, these large bruins are also known as grizzly or kodiak bears, depending on where they live. The Alaskan kodiak bears are just slightly smaller than the polar bear, but big males may sometimes weigh more than their Arctic cousins.
• Bears, Polar
  
  Polar bears are often in the news these days as one of the animals most clearly affected by climate change. Learn more about the status of these big bears below
• Bears, Spectacled
  
  While most of us in North America are familiar with our own bear species and the Giant Panda, there are also four species found in South America and Asia. Read more about these little-known and highly endangered bear species below.
• Giant Pandas
  
  These gentle giants are among the world's most popular animals. Members of the Bear Family, they share many features with the brown, black and polar bears. They also have some unique panda features - read more below!

The Bear Family 

The Bear (Ursidae) Family is made up of eight living species. Historically, bears were found throughout Eurasia and North America, in the Atlas Mountains of North Africa, and the Andes of South America. They have been eliminated from much of their original range, in the areas heavily populated by man. Bear habitats range from arctic ice flows, temperate forests and plains to tropical rainforest.

All bears have big heads, large, heavily built bodies, short powerful limbs, short tails and small eyes. The ears are small, rounded and erect. The soles are hairy in species that are mainly ground dwelling, but naked in species that climb a great deal, such as the Sun or Spectacled bears. Each foot ends in five digits, and strong, recurved claws which are used for tearing and digging. Their coat is long and shaggy, and the fur is usually brown, black or white. Some species have white or beige crescents on the chest, and the Spectacled bear of South America has a patch of white hair circling each eye. The Giant Panda is mainly white, with black shoulders and feet.

Bears have a characteristic shuffling gait, walking with the heel of the foot touching the ground at the same time as the rest of the foot. They are capable of walking on their hind legs for short distances, and can be surprisingly agile and careful in their movements. Their eyesight and hearing are not particularly good, but their sense of smell is excellent. Bears are omnivorous, except for the polar bear which eats mainly fish and seals. All other species eat meat, plants, insects, berries, fish and just about anything available.

During the autumn months, temperate members of the bear family become fatter. With the approach of cold winter weather, they cease eating and go into a den that they have prepared in a protected location. Here they sleep through the winter, living off stored fat reserves. Their heart rate drops to less than half of normal, and other physiological changes take place. With certain exceptions such as pregnant females, the polar bear does not hibernate. Sometimes bears will awaken early, during a prolonged spell of warm weather.

Except for courting pairs and mothers with young, bears are solitary.

Litters are produced at intervals of one to four years. In most regions, births occur from November to February while the mother is hibernating. The period of pregnancy is commonly extended six to eight months by delayed implantation of the fertilized egg. Litter size is from one to four young, although the Giant Panda usually raises only one cub. The young are relatively tiny at birth, ranging from 225-690 grams each. They remain with the mother at least through their first autumn. Bears become sexually mature at 2-6 years and normally live 15-30 years in the wild.

Bears are peaceful animals that try to avoid human conflict. However, if they consider themselves, their young or their food supply threatened they can become formidable adversaries. Few stories of unprovoked bear attacks are true; further investigations usually reveal there was some provocation. Nonetheless, bears have been persecuted throughout their range because of the alleged danger to humans, and because they are sometimes considered serious predators of domestic livestock. These problems tend to increase dramatically when their natural habitat is invaded and fragmented by people, leading inevitably to conflicts.

Another longstanding problem is the killing of bears for their body parts, especially the gall bladder, for use as traditional medicines. Most bear species in Asia are directly threatened by such exploitation, and bear populations around the world have been subject to increased illegal hunting and commercial trade. This is one of the current threats to North American black bears.

Like all wildlife species in the world today, the biggest threat to bears is loss of habitat.

Endangered:   Giant Panda, Sun Bear, Sloth Bear, Spectacled Bear, some populations of Brown Bear

Threatened:   Polar Bear, Asian Black Bear, some populations of Brown Bear

Safe:   American Black Bear