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1 Physical attributes

Common characteristics of bears include dense fur, a short tail, excellent senses of smell and hearing, five un-retractable claws, and long, shaggy fur.

Bears have a large body with powerful limbs. They are capable of standing up on their hind legs. They have broad paws, long snouts, and round ears. Their teeth are used for defense and tools and depend on the diet of the bear. Their claws are used for ripping, digging, and catching.

2 Habitats

Bears live in a variety of habitats from the tropics to the Arctic and from forests to snowfields. They are mainly omnivorous, although some have a more specialised diet, such as polar bears. They eat lichens, roots, nuts, and berries. They can also go to a river or other body of water to capture fish. Bears will commonly travel far from food. Hunting times are usually in the dusk or the dawn except when humans are nearby.

Some of the large species, such as the Polar Bear and the Grizzly Bear, are dangerous to humans, especially in areas where they have become used to people. For the most part, bears are shy and are easily frightened of humans. They will, however, defend their cubs ferociously.

3 Reproductive behaviour

The bear's courtship period is very brief. Bears reproduce seasonally, usually after hibernation. Cubs come out toothless, blind, and bald. The cubs, usually born in litters of 1–3, will stay with the mother for six months. They will be fed by milk at first and will start hunting with the mother in three months. Then, they are weaned. However, they will still remain nearby for three years. The cubs are more sexually mature at seven years. Normally, bears are very solitary and will not remain close together for long periods of time.

4 Other

Many bears of northern regions are assumed to hibernate in the winter. They actually don't hibernate. Their body temperature sinks a moderate amount and they can be easily awakened.

Laws have been passed in many areas of the world to protect bears from hunters or habitat destruction. Bears in captivity used to be trained to dance, box, or unicycle, but it is now controversial to use animals in this way.

Bears have an average life expectancy of 25–40 years.

5 Classification

• Family Ursidae
  • Subfamily Ailuropodinae
    • Giant Panda, Ailuropoda melanoleuca
  • Subfamily Tremarctinae
    • Andean Bear, Tremarctos ornatus
    • Florida Cave Bear , Tremarctos floridanus (extinct)
    • Giant Short-Faced Bear, Arctodus simus (extinct)
    • Short-Faced Bear, Arctodus pristinus (extinct)
  • Subfamily Ursinae
    • Brown BearThe Brown Bear Ursus arctos is a species of bear that can reach weights of 130-700 kg (300 to 1500 pounds). The Grizzly Bear the Kodiak Bear and the Mexican Brown Bear are North American subspecies of the Brown Bear. It is sometimes referred to poetically, Ursus arctos
    • American Black Bear, Ursus americanus
    • Polar BearThe polar bear Ursus maritimus is a large mammal of the order Carnivora, family Ursidae. It is a circumpolar species found in and around the Arctic Ocean. It is the world's largest land carnivore. Adult males weigh from 400 to 600 kilograms and occasional, Ursus maritimus
    • Asiatic Black BearAsiatic Black Bear Ursus thibetanus or Ursus tibetanus , or Tibetan Black Bear can be found in forest of montainous areas in East Asia, including Taiwan and Japan. The Asiatic Black Bear type that is found in Taiwan is the Formosan Black Bear subspecies., Ursus thibetanus
    • Auvergne Bear , Ursus minimus (extinct)
    • Etruscan Bear , Ursus etruscus (extinct)
    • European Cave Bear , Ursus spelaeus (extinct)
    • Atlas Bear, Ursus crowtheri (extinct)
    • Sloth BearSloth Bear : Animalia : Chordata : Mammalia : Carnivora : Ursidae Melursus ursinus Binomial name Melursus ursinus ( Shaw, 1791) The Sloth Bear Melursus ursinus is a nocturnal bear with shaggy fur which inhabits the lowland forests of India, Nepal, Banglad, Melursus ursinus
    • Sun Bear, Helarctos malayanus

The genera Melursus and Helarctos are sometimes included in the genus Ursus. The Asiatic Black Bear and the Polar Bear used to be placed in their own genera, Selenarctos and Thalarctos.