Description, structure, what it looks like
The bear is the largest predator on the planet, surpassing even the lion and tiger in size. The beast has been walking the Earth for almost 5 million years, and during this time it has managed to gain a foothold in the status of one of the most dangerous. The sizes of different types are in the range of 1.2 to 3 meters, and the weight varies from 40 kg to a ton. Bears have a massive body, a thick neck and a large round head.
The predator is endowed with powerful jaws that help chew any food. On the sides of the small front teeth are large fangs. The animal moves on thick bent legs.
Interesting fact : due to the fact that the bear's paws are slightly curved to the side, he has a clubfoot. But this does not stop him from running fast, reaching speeds of up to 50 km/h.
The bear not only navigates well in forest areas, but also swims well. Any species is capable of traveling long distances through water. And the white one even has membranes on its paws, allowing it to swim even faster. The animal climbs trees perfectly, climbing them in just a few seconds. All this makes him an excellent pursuer, who in any conditions can catch up with prey, no matter where it is hiding.
Bears' hearing and vision are poorly developed, but the same cannot be said about their sense of smell. The animal is able to smell even a faint odor and determine the direction from which it comes. Thanks to this, it is perfectly oriented in space.
The color of a bear's fur depends on its species. It can be black, brown, white. Skin color is also determined by this parameter. Whites have black skin under their fur. This helps to receive more heat from the sun's rays in cold climates. In brown ones it is gray. Sometimes bears develop a rare disease, due to which hair on the body is almost completely absent. The most famous in this regard is the female Dolores, who lives at the Leipzig Zoo.
Who are bears
Bears are huge, fat, shaggy, with short crooked legs, animals that live mainly in forests. Bears belong to the class of mammals, to the order Carnivora, to the bear family; there are about 6 million of them on earth. And in our time, these are far from ordinary animals that deserve respect and appropriate treatment.
Outwardly, bears look like fairly calm animals. The peculiarity of the bear is that the bear’s gaze in any state is indifferent and does not express its intentions, especially aggression. However, despite this outward indifference and seemingly goodwill, bears are unpredictable and you can always expect an attack from them.
Despite their external clumsiness, bears have a very quick reaction. The strength and especially sharpness of the blow of the clawed paw of such an animal gives it the opportunity to kill a large animal with almost one blow.
During a hunt or in moments of danger, this predator can run at speeds of up to 50 km/h. Most of them are excellent swimmers. And the polar bear, which spends a lot of time in the water, has special membranes between its toes that help it when swimming.
Another feature is that bears do not have particularly acute eyesight, but they have excellent hearing and smell. Bears often stand on their hind legs and, turning in different directions, using hearing and smell, can receive information about who is out of sight. This animal can smell a person’s scent from several kilometers away.
Bears were and remain very dangerous predators, from whom anything can be expected at any moment. Therefore, bears have always inspired fear in other animals and people. From time immemorial, these animals have been considered by most peoples to be a symbol of strength and power.
Types of bears
Zoologists distinguish several types of bears. Each species has subspecies.
American bear
Baribal, the name of the American bear, is the friendliest of the family. Although, in case of danger, it can hit with its paw, but immediately run away to a safe distance. As club-footed as his relatives.
He lives in 30 US states, from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. It can be found in Mexico and Alaska.
The fur of the baribal is black, sometimes gray or blue-black. The height of an adult male is about 2 m, weight reaches 350 kg. The black bear is the most common species in America.
The American bear eats berries, bees and termites, and fishes. Enjoy the meat of pigs or sheep.
A bear in captivity, under human protection, can live up to 30 years. In natural conditions it lives for 12 years.
The black bear is afraid of people, although it can go out onto the highway or climb into a farm in search of food.
Himalayan bear
The black bear has several names: white-breasted, Himalayan, Ussuri. The most romantic of them: the moon bear. It was given its name because of the crescent-shaped spot on its chest: white, sometimes with a yellowish tint.
The Himalayan bear lives in the forests and hills of Iran and Afghanistan. A large population of the predator lives in the Himalayas, Korea, and Japan. On the territory of Russia - in the Khabarovsk Territory (the image can be seen on the coat of arms), Yakutia. The Himalayan bear is found in Vietnam.
Males are quite large in size: length reaches 1m 80 cm, at the withers - up to 80 cm. Weight - up to 80 kg. Females are much smaller and lighter.
The Himalayan bear is often hunted. At the same time, not only animal fur is valuable. In some countries (Laos, Vietnam, China) it is bred on special farms to collect bile, which is widely used in Chinese medicine. Here the paws of the predator are eaten.
The Himalayan bear spends most of its time in trees. Here he looks for food and escapes from midges. The diet consists of nuts, berries, plant shoots, and acorns. Since the predator's body needs protein, the bear eats ants, other insects, and also frogs.
The Himalayan bear mates from June to August. Females give birth to 1 or 2 babies, weighing 400 g.
Sleeps in winter. The main enemies are the Amur tiger and brown bear.
Life expectancy is no more than 25 years.
Brown bear
One of the largest family of bears, its average size reaches 3 m. It weighs from 350 kg to 450 kg. The heaviest bear lived in the Berlin Zoo, weighing 760 kg. Lives in the Caucasus, in the northern part of Russia. Found in Scandinavia, the Carpathians. A small number live in Palestine, Iran, and northern Iraq. It is difficult to name the exact place where the brown bear lives. The fact is that if there is enough food somewhere, then it will not go further than 500 hectares. If there is not enough food, then the brown bear begins to wander in search of food. The animal is a forest dweller. He prefers to make a den where there are a lot of swamps, in coniferous or mixed forests. It is quite difficult to meet a brown bear, since it is awake at night.
The appearance of an animal is deceiving. He, like the rest of the family, looks awkward: a huge head, short legs, large withers. But it can easily catch up with its prey and swims well (it can swim up to 6 km without stopping). At a young age, it climbs trees very well.
The Predator is endowed with enormous strength. It will not be difficult for him to tear out the ribs or break the skull of any large animal. With a blow from his paw he can break a person's spine. An animal is dangerous after hibernation, when hunger drives it after prey. During this period, he is not averse to eating human flesh.
Sleeps in winter. The longest duration of sleep is about 200 days. The brown bear sleeps for so long on the Kola Peninsula, where winter lasts from November to April and longer. The animal prepares its den in advance: it finds a dry place, covers it with dry leaves, hay, and branches. Very rarely it can build a rookery directly on the ground.
Pregnant bears arrange their dens in such a way that there is plenty of space and ventilation. In winter, the den is covered with snow, which becomes a kind of blanket for the mother and cubs.
The animal sleeps very lightly. This dream is like numbness. He wakes up when he runs out of fat reserves.
Animals that for some reason have not gained fat do not hibernate at all, but wander through the forest, looking for food. They are called "connecting rods". These predators are the most dangerous.
Animals kept in nature reserves do not become kind and affectionate. There are cases when they attacked and maimed people who did not follow safety rules, or tried to feed or pet predators.
Life expectancy is about 30 years, in a seine - up to 50 years.
Malayan bear
The local population nicknamed the animal the bear-dog. The maximum length of the body barely reaches 1 m 50 cm, weighing from 25 kg to 65 kg. The yellow spot on the chest looks like the rising sun, so another name is sun bear. It is assumed that the black bear uses the light spot to intimidate enemies. During the fight, he takes a threatening pose, standing upright on his hind legs. A distinctive feature is loose skin around the neck. This allows the animal to turn its head and deliver unexpected blows with its fangs. Leopards and tigers are dangerous for biruang.
The black bear lives on the island of Java, Sumatra, on the Malay Peninsula, Borneo. Habitat: tropical, subtropical forest, sometimes found in the mountains.
The sun bear is the most aggressive of the family. With sharp fangs, he chews wood to get insects out of it. In addition, it feeds on berries and earthworms. It is not carnivorous, but can eat lizards and birds. He enjoys eating bananas and coconut palm sprouts. Zoo workers know what the animal eats, but they give them peanut butter and crickets to eat.
It is not known exactly how long a black bear lives in natural conditions. In captivity, its age reaches 24 years.
The sun bear is monogamous. There is no specific period for mating; it can occur at any time of the year. Mating games last from 2 to 7 days. The female's gestation period can last from 95 to 210 days. Brings from 1 to 3 cubs, which are born blind; the weight of newborn puppies is about 300g. They grow very quickly. 2-3 months after birth, they run, play, and eat with their mother, although they suck milk until 4 months.
The animal is listed in the Red Book as an endangered species.
Grizzly
The gray bear lives in Alaska and northern Canada. A small number survives in Montana, near Washington and Yellowstone. The bear's height is about 4 m, its claws are a dangerous weapon 15 cm long. There is no exact answer to how much a grizzly bear weighs. The maximum weight is about 210 kg, the smallest female weighs just over 130 kg. Like the brown bear, it can live up to 30 years. Grizzlies are considered a bloodthirsty predator, although the food that the animal eats is no different from the diet of its relatives. The gray bear prefers algae, shoots of young plants, and berries. He loves fish, honey, and does not neglect frogs and lizards. He can smell the smell of carrion 30 km away and eats it with pleasure. Hunts mainly for weak or young animals. Capable of reaching speeds of up to 60 km/h, swimming across a river with ease, while demonstrating his enormous strength. A grizzly bear fishes during the salmon spawning season. It lowers its head into the water and catches prey with its teeth or paw. Particularly dexterous animals are able to catch fish when they jump out of the water.
A grizzly bear spends the winter in a den. During the thaw, he wakes up and wanders through the forest, looking for food. Goes to bed again when the frost gets worse.
Being solitary animals, they communicate only during the mating season. From the moment of mating to the birth of the cubs, about 250 days pass. Their mother takes care of them for 2 years.
The grizzly bear does not pose a threat to humans. He can show aggression towards him only when he senses danger.
Polar bear
The king of the Far North and the Arctic Ocean is the polar bear. The largest representative of the family. Height 1.5 m, length 3 m. The male is much heavier than the female. It weighs 450 kg, the maximum weight of a female is 250 kg. Habitat: Far North. It is found on the island of Spitsbergen, on Novaya Zemlya, in the Hudson Bay area. Sometimes, drifting on an ice floe, he ends up in Iceland.
The bear's body is elongated, thick, with a large layer of subcutaneous fat. The predator's feet are longer than those of its relatives, since it needs to walk on snow. The feet are webbed for swimming. The coat is white or with a yellowish tint, regardless of the time of year.
Although clumsy in appearance, the northern bear is an excellent swimmer. The speed it reaches is 45 km/h. Even in Arctic waters it can swim 80 km without a break. The undercoat serves as an air cushion for it. Has no equal in catching fish.
The polar bear has sharp eyesight and is well oriented in the vast expanses of snow. He easily determines the road he needs, and at the same time chooses the shortest distance to get to the goal he needs.
The polar bear is the largest animal in its range, so it is not afraid of anyone. A wonderful hunter. It eats everything that lives around, but a special delicacy is the eggs and chicks of Arctic birds.
For an animal, frost of 80˚C does not pose a problem. The main thing is that there is water nearby, not covered with ice.
The female hunts all year round, leaving this activity only during pregnancy. During this period, she hides in a hole made of snow, bearing cubs, supporting the body with accumulated subcutaneous fat. Usually she gives birth to 2 babies, whom she quickly teaches all the intricacies of northern life.
Today, hunting the animal is prohibited. Killing them is allowed only for the purpose of self-defense.
The life expectancy of the animal reaches 25 - 30 years.
A polar bear never attacks a person. This can happen if the animal feels aggression from him. A predator can approach a person only out of curiosity. But if a person begins to feed the bear, then he will begin to perceive it as a source of food.
Gubach
The length of the predator reaches 2 m, the height at the withers is from 60 cm to 90 cm. Females are about a third smaller than males. The animal has a massive body with a large head and an elongated muzzle. His lips are always protruded forward, completely devoid of fur. The coat is often black, sometimes with a dirty brown tint.
You can meet a bear in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
Panda
The bamboo bear, which previously had other names: cat bear, spotted bear, lives in the northern regions of China. At the beginning of the 20th century, it became the emblem of the country. Males are 10% larger than females and 20% heavier. The length reaches 1.8 m, weight – up to 160 kg. A panda is a bear with a special coat color: the main color is white, the paws, ears, and round spots around the eyes are black. The panda has a tail 10-15 cm long. The front paws have five toes and a sixth one, designed for tearing apart the thinnest bamboo stems. This plant is the main food of the animal, the daily norm is about 30 kg. Pandas, like all bears, need protein. To replenish it, they eat eggs, insects, and sometimes small animals.
The spotted bear's habitat is wide; in summer it climbs to a height of up to 4000 m to escape the heat.
The sexual maturity of the animal occurs from 4 to 8 years. Pregnancy lasts from 3 to 5.5 months. Usually 1 or 2 cubs are born, weighing up to 130 g. In this case, the mother takes care of the first baby, abandoning the second. Childbirth occurs once every 2 years. Therefore, the population is growing slowly. Life expectancy is 20 years.
The panda is considered an endangered species. According to the latest data, the number of animals is just over 2 thousand.
The Chinese authorities have taken the animal under state protection. The death penalty is provided for its destruction.
Koala
The animal's homeland is Australia. The answer to the question of which family it belongs to is controversial. The koala is both a marsupial mammal and a marsupial bear. Perhaps the only similarity with the appearance is external. Soft gray fur, small eyes, downturned nose, round ears leave no one indifferent.
The animal's height is only 60 cm, weighs from 4 kg to 13 kg. The limbs and claws of the beast are designed in such a way that it can climb trees.
The papillary pattern of the finger pads is so similar to that of a human that it is difficult to distinguish them even with a microscope.
The koala's diet consists of eucalyptus leaves and bark. A plant that is poisonous to others is not dangerous to the koala. Every day they eat from 500 g to 1 kg of the plant. To replenish microelements, they eat soil.
The marsupial bear is a slow animal, motionless for almost 20 hours a day. At this time, he chews leaves collected and stored behind his cheeks, or sleeps, or slowly moves along the tree trunk. The animal swims beautifully. He can jump, but he does it to escape danger or in search of food.
From October to February, koalas breed. Several females gather near one male. Pregnancy lasts a little over a month. The newborn stays in the mother's pouch for six months, where he feeds on her milk. For the next six months it lives on its mother’s fur, tenaciously holding on to it.
Animals are like children: they are easily tamed by humans. They love to be petted. Left alone, they begin to feel sad and cry.
The koala has no enemies, because the bear cub smells of eucalyptus. It is destroyed by drought, lack of food and poachers.
Koalas do not live long, only 18 years.
Nature took care of preserving the species by giving males two penises, and females two vaginas.
Lifestyle of bears
All bears are solitary animals. These animals strictly follow the rules of their domains, when each animal assigns to itself a certain territory, sometimes tens of square kilometers. The owner strictly protects her from the invasion of a stranger. The bear marks the boundaries of its land with urine and marks on tree trunks. The bear makes marks with its claws on tree trunks at a height that it can reach by standing on its hind legs and stretching its paw up.
Usually, a stranger bear, having entered someone’s territory, tries on these marks on itself. If he cannot reach the marks, then he understands that he is smaller than the owner and retreats. If it reaches the marks, it may try to seize someone else's land. Such attempts rarely succeed, because the owner will defend his land.
Bears form a pair only for the duration of mating, for the continuation of offspring. Usually the male finds the female by smell. This is followed by introduction, and if the female accepts him, then mating will take place in a couple of weeks. After which the male leaves and they may never meet again. The she-bear herself equips a den for the winter and in winter she gives birth to one or two cubs, which she feeds with milk. In the spring, the she-bear takes the cubs out of the den and teaches them to search for food. It usually takes care of the cubs for two years, after which it sends them off to independent existence.
Only polar whites are real predators, and in the specifics of their habitat, in the ice of the Arctic, they simply have nothing else to eat except fish and animals. In the summer, polar bears do not refuse berries and other plant foods. By the way, for many years now, polar bears have chosen Wrangel Island, where all pregnant polar bears flock to continue their offspring, setting up a kind of maternity hospital there. This was facilitated by the fact that Wrangel Island has been a nature reserve for many years and mother bears with cubs are in no danger there.
Summer is an opportunity for all bears to replenish their diet with vitamins, so they can often be seen in places where berries grow, they especially love raspberries. Bears never make provisions for the winter. But having taken possession of large prey, bears usually hide the carcass and feed for several days, often despite the fact that it goes rotten. The smell of rotten meat does not bother the bear, and the smell itself is far from attractive.
In winter, almost all bears hibernate, something like lethargic sleep. To do this, they arrange their sleeping areas, the so-called dens, and spend about three or four winter months there half asleep, not eating anything and not even drinking water. During hibernation, the bears' body feeds on reserves of fat accumulated over the summer.
What does a bear eat?
Bears are omnivores who love to feast on various forest game (hares, deer, roe deer, moose, all can become prey for a bear), as well as juicy berries and fruits. They will not refuse fish either; by the way, some bears are excellent fishermen, skillfully catching fish in rivers and lakes. Just like a real sweet tooth, bears love honey, which sometimes makes forest bees very nervous (the favorite children's cartoon about Winnie the Pooh and his trip for honey has a very real basis).
But also the diet of a bear depends on its species, for example, a good-natured panda is a vegetarian bear, as it eats only bamboo shoots, a Himalayan bear happily eats frogs, insects and shellfish, but a polar bear is a true predator that feeds exclusively on meat, You can't lure him with plant food.
Black bear, or baribal (Ursus americanus)
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In general, this animal resembles a medium-sized brown bear weighing 120-150 kg. But there are some differences: the fur of a black bear is usually darker, the muzzle is more elongated and colored white or yellowish, the ears of the baribal are relatively large, and the claws are long. These claws help the black bear climb trees, because he is an excellent climber. Baribal, more than other bears, loves to climb and feed in trees.
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In a black bear litter you can often find cubs of different colors.
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The black bear eats the same food as the brown bear, but its diet is dominated by plant foods and it never attacks large animals. And his character is more flexible. Smaller, and therefore less dangerous, this bear often approaches human habitation in search of some kind of waste.
Bear hibernation
A bear's winter hibernation can last up to 200 days. In preparation for it, bears actively stock up on fat in the fall, and this is critically important for the bear. Those bears that have not managed to gain sufficient fat reserves cannot hibernate and, as a result, turn into connecting rod bears (they also become connecting rod bears due to the bear awakening too early after hibernation). Connecting bears are very dangerous animals (including for humans), attacking everything they come across in the forest. Usually connecting rod bears die from hunger, cold, or a hunter's bullet.
As for the state of ordinary bears hibernating in their secluded den, what is happening to them is somewhat reminiscent of suspended animation - the clubfoot’s pulse during hibernation decreases from the usual 55 beats per minute to 9 beats per minute. The level of metabolism (metabolism) in the bear's body decreases by 53%. At this time, bears, of course, do not eat, drink, or defecate; all their life processes seem to be paused. The exact mechanism of how bears actually hibernate is to this day the subject of scientific research by zoologists.
They are afraid of almost no one except humans
Due to their large size, bears have few natural enemies in the wild. Among the biggest threats to all bear species is habitat loss, especially from logging, agriculture, and growing human populations. Habitat loss reduces the number of feeding areas and means animals are increasingly coming into contact with people, leading to conflict between them. Bears are killed for human safety or in retaliation for livestock hunting or crop robberies.
Sometimes bears that fail to accumulate enough fat to last through the winter die of starvation. Juveniles are more vulnerable to predators due to their small size and therefore can be killed by wolves, tigers or pumas, but most likely by other bears, especially males. For this reason, female bears are especially aggressive in protecting their cubs who find themselves in close proximity to males.
Climate change also poses a serious threat, especially to polar bears. They rely on seals coming out onto the sea ice and often spend the summer months without food, waiting for the ice to freeze. Therefore, melting sea ice poses a serious threat to polar bears.
Photo: www.theplanetd.com
Character and lifestyle
Bears belong to the category of predatory animals that prefer to lead an isolated lifestyle, so they can be seen in a group environment only during breeding periods.
Males show aggressiveness not only towards their relatives, but also towards cubs if they stay near the female for a long time. In this regard, females quite often have to protect their offspring from bloodthirsty males. These mammals easily adapt to different living conditions, so bears can be found in mountainous areas, forests, steppes and even in arctic latitudes, with the main differences being solely in their lifestyle and the nature of their food. Many of the representatives of this family are found on the plains, as well as in mountain ranges of various latitudes with the presence of forest plantations. Some species are found in mountainous environments without dense vegetation. Some species prefer to settle near various bodies of water, regardless of where they are - on the plains, in the mountains or on the sea coasts, even in the Arctic.
Interesting to know! For polar bears, the Arctic, as well as the vast waters of the Arctic Ocean, are considered a natural habitat. As for brown bears, their natural habitats are subtropics, taiga, steppes, tundra, and deserts.
Almost all species of bears are terrestrial predatory mammals with the exception of polar bears, which are considered semi-aquatic representatives of such a large family, as well as Malayan bears.
Malayan bears prefer to lead a semi-arboreal lifestyle, so they feel at ease in the treetops and even build a nest for themselves at a height. There are species that live within burrows formed by the root system of trees, and also use various crevices, including caves formed by piles of stones.
The Bear family is mainly active at night, staying in their shelters during the day. As for polar bears, they do not fit into the general rules, since they can be seen in groups not only during breeding periods. They can go out in groups to watering places, and in groups they can also look for food for themselves.
Other species of bears
In addition to the main group, which includes the above animals, there are other types of bears, including:
Little panda
Red panda - previously the animals were classified as raccoons, because in appearance they look like big cats. Today, the red panda is considered a bear, since its character is similar to this family.
Grolar
Grolar (polar Grizzly) is a predatory animal that is a hybrid of a polar and brown bear. This species combines the characteristics of a Grizzly bear: inconspicuous facial features, spots near the nose and eyes, strong claws, but the individuals have light-colored fur and behavior very similar to that found in polar bears. It is important to note that the genetics of the “parents” have many common features, so the hybrid turned out to be quite harmonious. These bears are not very common in the wild, but they usually live in places with low temperatures and harsh weather conditions. The Grolar diet consists entirely of meat, and the animals themselves are aggressive and cautious.
Brown panda
This is a subspecies that belongs to the order of carnivores. It was discovered in the second half of the last century, but scientists attributed it to the Qinling population of Ailuropoda melanoleuca for a very long time, and after 45 years it was still identified as a subspecies. The size of individuals is slightly smaller than that of black and white pandas. Another distinctive feature is the brown or light brown color. The animals also have a small skull and massive molars. The number of animals is extremely small - there are 300 individuals in total; they reproduce very reluctantly, which makes it difficult to increase the population. Brown pandas typically live in the Qinling Mountains in China and feed on bamboo.
Natural habitats
Spectacled bears are considered the only animals of the Bear family that prefer to live within South America. Their natural habitats extend to mountain forests in countries such as Venezuela and Ecuador, Colombia and Peru, Bolivia and Panama. Brown bears are more characterized by habitat conditions associated with the basins of rivers such as the Lena, Kolyma, Anadyr, as well as with Eastern Siberia and the Stanovoy Range. They can be found in northern Mongolia, in some regions of China, as well as in the border areas of eastern Kazakhstan.
Typical natural habitats for grizzly bears are western Canada and Alaska. A small number remains in continental America, more precisely in the state of Montana and northwestern Washington. For their life activities, Tien Shan brown bears preferred the Tien Shan mountain ranges and the Dzungarian Alatau, which is connected by peripheral mountain ranges. Mazalai bears prefer to live in the Tsagan-Bogdo and Atas-Bogdo mountains, overgrown with sparse bushes and the presence of old dried up river beds.
Polar bears are distributed over vast areas adjacent to the polar latitudes of the northern hemisphere. Himalayan bears are typical inhabitants of the mountain forests and hills of Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, including the Himalayas, extending to the border areas of Japan and Korea. In the summer, they climb the mountains to a height of up to 3 thousand meters, or even more, and with the onset of winter cold they return back to the foot of the mountains.
Sloths can be found in the tropical and subtropical zones, which extend into the forested areas of countries such as India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal, including countries such as Bhutan and Bangladesh. Biruangs are typical inhabitants of northeast India and Indonesia, including the islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan. On the island of Borneo there is a Malayan bear, also known as the Biruangi bear.
Area, distribution
The habitat of bears is quite wide, including Alaska, Canada, Antarctica and the Arctic. In their natural habitat, predators are most often found on continents such as North America and Eurasia. Some species of animals live on the islands of Java, Sumatra, and Australia. Animals can settle in mountainous areas, on plains, in too cold or hot countries. They prefer to live in a cave, hollow tree or den. Regardless of the fact that bears are solitary, sometimes they live in families.
Reproduction
Males and females live separately. But when the mating season begins, the male comes to the partner’s territory for the purpose of producing offspring. Most species breed from May to June. Several bears can lay claim to one she-bear, and then fights begin, after which the weak one moves away.
Cubs appear every two to four years, their number varies from one to four. Moreover, a male can come to the same female for several years.
Pregnancy lasts from 180 to 220 days; birth always occurs in winter, since the embryo does not begin to mature until November. With the onset of cold weather, the female, which has become overfed and gained weight, goes into hibernation. And when the moment comes, cubs appear in the den. Their weight is approximately half a kilo and their size is 20 cm.
In the first weeks, the cubs are almost completely bald and have no teeth. Their eyes are closed. During this period, they actively feed on their mother’s milk, gain weight and develop. Until the onset of warmth, they sit in the den and wait for the moment when the mother is ready to go outside, having finally awakened from hibernation. By the age of three months they weigh 15 kg and have a full set of baby teeth.
For the first couple of years, the offspring lives with the female. They learn to survive, hunt and continue to develop. When the time comes, mature individuals go in search of new territories that will become their home.
Bear breeding
The bear is a monogamous animal. But despite this, bear families are short-lived. Predators gather together when mating season arrives. After the female is fertilized, the family breaks up. Pregnancy lasts differently for each species. The gestation period for cubs is up to 200 days. Almost all female bears give birth to 1 to 3 cubs. Cubs are born blind, toothless, and without hair. For 2 years they feed on mother's milk. Sexual maturity is reached at 3-4 years. Only after this do they leave their mother.
Natural enemies
The bear, being a real forest king, has no enemies among animals. Any animal that notices a healthy silhouette will try to hide from sight as quickly as possible without entering into conflict.
Interesting fact : cases have been recorded of wolves running away in whole packs at the sight of a bear. Even despite their numerical superiority, other predators prefer not to come into conflict with this beast.
But the bear, in turn, is a walking nuisance for almost all animals that meet on its way. Depending on his mood and degree of hunger, he can attack any animal.
Perhaps the only one who dares to attack a bear is a person. Since the animal grows to large sizes, one individual is capable of producing tens of kilograms of meat and a large, warm skin.
Nutrition
The animals are omnivores, but two-thirds of their diet is based on plant foods, which the brown bear consumes in different seasons. The animal feeds on acorns, roots, and plant stems. Berries and nuts are delicacies. In times of famine, crops of corn and oats become food sources. All kinds of insects, lizards, frogs, and forest rodents are eaten.
Large predators hunt artiodactyl animals - wild boars, moose, roe deer, deer. In early spring, after hibernation, the bear gives preference to animal food, since it needs to gain strength, and there is little plant food. The animal is especially active when hunting.
The brown bear does not eat large prey immediately; it hides it under brushwood and guards it until its supply runs out. It hunts for carrion and can take prey from smaller predators - wolves, tigers. There are known cases of attacks on domestic animals and grazing livestock.
Near bodies of water, bears become excellent fishermen, especially during salmon spawning. The abundance of fish leads to the fact that the bear eats only the fattest parts of the carcasses, leaving other pieces.
Bears have good memory. Foraging areas with an abundance of berries, mushrooms, nuts, and fruit-bearing trees will be visited more than once by a predator with the hope of feasting on them.
Hibernation
In the fall, bears, sensing the approach of cold weather, begin to eat everything they meet on their way. This is necessary in order to gain as much weight as possible, due to which they can survive during hibernation. Some bears eat up to 200 kg before entering suspended animation.
Active weight gain is not done by chance, and any individual tries to eat more than necessary. After all, if the body’s reserves are not enough for the entire winter period, the bear will wake up ahead of time. He will have no choice but to leave the den and go in search of food. But when everything is covered with snow, it is quite difficult for the animal to quickly adapt and provide itself with everything it needs. Moreover, some bears that do not accumulate enough reserves may not hibernate at all. Then they will have to survive from the first day of winter, and often they will not succeed.
Interesting fact : bears that do not hibernate or come out of hibernation prematurely are called cranks. They are very aggressive, hungry and attack anything that moves.
Hibernation for a bear lasts approximately 200 days. During this period, the animal is in a state of suspended animation. He doesn't move, doesn't eat, just sleeps. At the same time, the processes in his body slow down by 55%. Heart rate drops to 8 beats per minute, instead of the usual 50-55. The animal can remain in this state until the body’s internal resources run out.
The bear winters in its own den, having previously prepared it. Thanks to its thick fur, it does not need to additionally insulate its home during cold weather. He simply cleans out everything unnecessary from it and disguises the entrance a little to protect himself from unwanted guests. Although who wants to wake up a potential connecting rod bear?
6. Most bears hibernate in winter.
Because the vast majority of bears live in high northern latitudes, they need a way to survive the 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 hibernating cave bears during the last ice age. Some of these bears woke up and killed the intruders.
Does a bear have a tail?
Scientists have found that millions of years ago, bears had tails. However, the animal did not use this limb in any way. While most animals use it for control while running, for orientation in space and communication, the predator focused on developing the sense of smell and physical strength. As a result, the bear's tail gradually began to decrease until it disappeared completely.
Nowadays, almost all rear views have a regular leather flap that is no more than four inches in length. Bears cannot move it, and this semblance of a tail just dangles from behind.
Description
The bear has a thick, short body and neck, and the muzzle is extended forward. The animal has small ears and eyes, but this does not affect hearing and vision in any way. Each paw has five toes with long claws and an inconspicuous and short tail. Despite their clumsiness, the animals are hardy and can move quickly. The predator swims beautifully.
Lifestyle
These animals are adapted to different living conditions; they live in steppes, forests, and arctic ice. Some species of bears are attached to water, so they live near streams or the sea coast. Predators are terrestrial animals, only the polar bear is considered semi-aquatic. At their core, they are solitary animals; aggregation of animals is possible during mating or gathering near a watering hole. Nutrition depends on the time of year, when the diet changes, and with increased dampness they even eat mosquitoes.
Origin
Bears originate from miacids, which are creatures somewhat reminiscent of martens. These animals belong to the subspecies Caniformia, where its ancestor is a small animal that lived in the middle of the Oligocene. From him came the genus Ursavus, the remains of individuals of which were found on the territory of modern Eurasia. Bears first appeared about 6 million years ago, when a mammal resembling a Malayan predator was found in France.
The role of bears in the global ecosystem
Like many other species of animals, the Bear family plays a significant role in the functioning of the ecosystem of our Planet, due to the characteristics of their diet, depending on their habitat. Since “Bears” are typical predators, they take part in regulating the number of various animals that live in the same territory as predators such as bears.
Interesting Facts! As a rule, bears of various species harbor various external parasites, as well as many endoparasites.
Herbivorous species contribute to the natural process of seed dispersal of various plants. Arctic foxes prefer not to go far from polar bears in order to eat the remains of food left by these predators.
Where do bears live?
Bears live on all continents except Africa and Antarctica. Depending on their habitat over centuries of existence, their appearance, nutrition, lifestyle and habits have been formed.
All bears prefer secluded places located away from humans. For forest species, these are dense forests with ponds and swamps.
Polar bears living in the North have become accustomed to life in a cold climate and spend most of their time in the water at any time of the year. They are large in size, covered with thick hair that protects them from frost and long stays in water. To survive in such harsh conditions, they require very nutritious food, so polar bears eat only fish and meat from marine animals.
Brown bears are the most numerous species, which includes 12 main subspecies formed depending on their habitat. The habitat of brown bears extends from latitudes south of the Arctic Circle and almost to the tropics. Therefore, their appearance, size and diet are very diverse. This is what European bears look like.
Baribala black bears live in North America; they look similar to brown bears, but are smaller in size and black in color. There are 16 species of black bear.
In South America, the only representative of the bear genus is the spectacled bear, which lives in the Andes at an altitude of up to 4200 meters above sea level.
The southern Asian countries are home to unique species of bears. This is how large bamboo panda bears live in China - black-and-white herbivorous bears.
In Australia, marsupial koala bears live in trees in eucalyptus groves, feeding on eucalyptus leaves.
The Indo-China peninsula is also home to unusual sloth bears and Malayan biruang bears.
Despite all the differences in appearance, size, diet and lifestyle, all these animals belong to the class of mammals, the order of carnivores, and the bear family.
Population and species status
The spectacled bear has been listed in the IUCN Red List; its numbers are relatively small and there is a high probability that the species may disappear forever. The Kodiak bear was also taken under state protection, since its population had also declined significantly due to uncontrolled hunting. Apennine brown bears are on the verge of complete extinction, since no more than 80 representatives of this species remain in the natural environment.
Tien Shan brown bears are also rare species these days. Their numbers are declining at a rapid rate, so bears are protected in the Aksu-Dzhabagly and Alma-Ata nature reserves. For the sake of obtaining bile, which is used in Chinese medicine, food-eating bears are actively exterminated, although at present their official conservation status of such animals has not been determined. This is mainly due to a lack of information.
Gobi bears are not only classified as "very rare animals", but are also considered a highly vulnerable species, which has led them to the brink of extinction. As for polar bears, they are also listed in the International Red Book, including the Red Book of our country. The vulnerability of the species is due to the fact that polar bears do not reproduce as quickly as we would like, and many of them die before reaching sexual maturity.
It is important to know! One of the subspecies of the Himalayan bear, the white-breasted Balochistan bear, is also listed in the Red Book, as it is on the verge of complete extinction.
Sloth bears are also listed in the IWC, with the status assigned to them as “endangered”. The fate of the Biruanga is no less tragic, since this species is considered not only rare, but also very vulnerable.
Himalayan bear (Ursus thibetanus)
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Yes, yes, the hero of the popular cartoon “Masha and the Bear” is a Himalayan!))
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These bears are somewhat smaller in size than brown bears, reaching a weight of 140-150 kg. The Himalayan bear has the largest ears relative to its body size. The Himalayan bear lives only in the Far East, from Primorye in the north to Indochina in the south.
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This bear is also similar in lifestyle and habits to the brown one, only its character is calmer and its diet is dominated by plant foods. A distinctive feature of this species is that bears do not make traditional dens, but prefer to winter in hollows.
What is the difference between a brown bear and a white bear?
Both species have a number of individual characteristics. Polar bears live in the cold polar regions, while brown bears prefer temperate climates and areas with many trees. Polar individuals have an elongated neck and a narrow muzzle; forest individuals, on the contrary, have a round head set close to the shoulders. Under the fur, the former have black skin, while the latter have gray skin.
The polar bear is larger: its dimensions reach 3 meters and weight up to a ton, while the brown bear grows on average up to 2 meters and weighs no more than 800 kg. Also, the latter hibernates every winter, and the polar species, since it is perfectly adapted to the cold, may not hibernate at all or go into suspended animation only for a short time.
The brown bear is an omnivore and is able to eat berries, animals and even insects, while the white bear hunts only living creatures.
Bears are large, powerfully built animals.
Males are larger than females, sometimes more than twice their size. Bears have small round ears, small eyes and very short tails. Most species have long, coarse fur, and the hair that makes it up is usually a single color. Malayan bears have smooth fur. Most bears are brown, black or white; some have striking white markings on the chest or face. Bamboo bears are widely known for their fur, which has distinctive black and white stripes.
Bears have massive and elongated skulls. Their jaws are controlled by a powerful set of muscles. Omnivorous bears have unspecialized teeth. The first three premolars are usually either absent or very small. The canines are long and slightly hooked, and the molars have wide, flat crowns.
Photo: mana5280
Origin of the species
Bears appeared approximately 5 million years ago. Their ancestors were martens. It is believed that the first individuals lived in what is now France, where their remains were discovered. A thorough study helped establish that the ancient DNA species is almost completely identical to the Malay one. Gradually, bears began to expand their territories, populating Europe and Asia.
Interesting fact : the first types of bears were not large. Being the ancestors of martens, they still resembled this animal in appearance.
Due to the development of new lands and changes in environmental conditions, bears began to evolve and divide into different species. About 2 million years ago, black and brown ones appeared, which were significantly larger than their relatives in size.
Extinct bears
There are several representatives of the mammal family that, unfortunately, became extinct and could not preserve their species to this day. These include:
California grizzly - in 1922, the last representative of this species of animals was killed.
Mexican grizzly
The Mexican grizzly left our planet in the 60s of the 20th century. The bear's characteristic features were white claws on its front paws, small ears and a high forehead.
Etruscan bear - there is a second name for the animal - short-faced. Disappeared about 2.5 million years ago.
Atlas bear - the last animal was killed in 1870. A distinctive feature was a white spot on the muzzle and fur that shimmered in red.
Giant polar bear
Giant polar bear - the animal is believed to have grown up to 4 meters and weighed about 1200 kg. Mysterious giants lived more than 100 thousand years ago.
Bears and people
It is in raspberry fields that they most often meet people. But if you do not show a feeling of fear, it is quite possible to part ways with them peacefully, but under no circumstances should you run away, because at these moments the hunting instinct awakens in them, and it is not very easy to escape from a bear. Be that as it may, it is better not to meet bears, so when going to places where they live, it is better to find out from local residents where they were most often seen, and not go there.
Quite often, people try to domesticate little bear cubs left without a mother, because they are very funny, but this does not lead to anything good. Keeping this wild animal at home, even from the very first days, is far from safe. The bear is a strong and dangerous predator, and over time, the animal instinct still awakens in it. For this animal, its home is natural conditions that cannot be replaced. Such experiments do not end well.
Bears are a very large group of animals inhabiting modern nature, which people have destroyed for a long time, and they could completely disappear from our land. Therefore, it is necessary to do everything necessary to preserve them for the future of humanity. For this purpose, many countries have developed programs for the conservation of bears as a species, but the main thing is the attitude of people towards these peculiar animals, equal inhabitants of our planet.
Kinds
The modern systematization of brown bears did not come immediately due to many population differences. Today, there is one species and twenty geographical races (subspecies), differing in color, size, and distribution area.
The most famous brown bears include the following large subspecies:
European brown bear (Eurasian or common). Many peoples cultivated the mighty ruler into a deity. The inhabitant of coniferous and deciduous forests settles as far as the tundra swamps in the north and climbs mountains up to 3000 meters in the south in search of coolness.
Active day and night, when there is an abundance of berries and fruits in nature. A lover of plundering honeycombs. The color varies from light brown to black-brown.
California bear (grizzly). The subspecies, which became extinct with the arrival of white people, is depicted on the California flag. It was an important component of the region's ecosystem. The subspecies was exterminated by hunters. Remains a symbol of the state.
Siberian brown bear . It is this subspecies that is called the owner of the Russian taiga. Characterized by a dark brown color with a thicker coat of hair on the legs. Ruler of the Eastern part of Siberia, found in Mongolia, Kazakhstan.
Atlas bear . Extinct subspecies. Lived in territories near the Atlas Mountains, from Morocco to Libya. The bear had a reddish tint to its fur. It ate plant roots, acorns, and nuts.
Gobi bear (mazalay). A rare inhabitant of the desert mountains of Mongolia. The fur color is light brown, there is always a slightly bleached stripe along the chest, shoulders and throat. The brown bear in the photo is elegant and recognizable.
Mexican (grizzly). A rare animal in danger of extinction. The brown bear is large in size. A predator with a pronounced hump in the area of the shoulder blades. It lives at the foot of the hills, in mountain forests at an altitude of up to 3000 meters. The last reliable record of grizzly bears was in 1960.
Tien Shan brown bear . A rare subspecies that lives in the mountain ranges of the Himalayas, Pamirs, and Tien Shan. The main feature is the light claws of the front paws. Protected by nature reserves in Kazakhstan.
Ussuri (Himalayan) bear . The animal is small in size compared to its relatives. Weight does not exceed 150 kg, length is approximately 180 cm. The color is dark, on the chest there is a triangular spot of white or yellowish tint.
Inhabitant of the forests of the Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories, the Japanese Islands, Pakistan, Iran, Korea, China, Afghanistan. Excellent climbs trees and swims.
Kodiak . One of the largest predators on land. The average mass of giants is half a ton. An abundance of food and a short winter are characteristic of their habitats - the islands of the Kodiak archipelago. A keen sense of smell and keen hearing help the predator in the hunt. The beast is omnivorous. In addition to fish and meat, you won’t mind eating berries, nuts, and juicy fruits.
Tibetan bear (eater). It got its name from the way it feeds on grasses and pikas on the Tibetan Plateau. A very rare subspecies, described in the 19th century. It is possible that the subspecies can be preserved high in the mountains. Prototype of the yeti. The piece of fur found as confirmation of the legend belonged to a brown bear.
Keeping a bear in a zoo
Nowadays, the only places where you can observe bears with your own eyes are zoos, where they are kept in large spacious enclosures designed to recreate natural conditions as much as possible. In addition to trees and stones, the enclosure must have a small pool in which the bears will swim from time to time. The bear's food should also depend on the season and include those products that are available to the predator in natural conditions.
Where does a bear live in the wild?
The animal's habitat is wide. It includes the Arctic and Antarctic, Canada and Alaska. In nature, bears can be found in Europe, Asia, and the American continent. Some representatives of predators live in Australia, on the islands of Japan, Sumatra, and Java. They live on plains and mountains, on the shores of oceans, in hot and very cold areas.
Some dig dens, others live in tree hollows, and others live in caves. All bears, except the white one, lead a sedentary lifestyle. They love solitude, although sometimes they can live in families (mother bear and cubs).
Interesting facts about bears
- A newborn bear cub weighs 400-500 grams, but by the time it reaches adulthood, this “baby” gains 1000 times its weight.
- Bear hunting was a favorite pastime of the medieval nobility, although it was also a very dangerous activity, because even after receiving a point-blank shot from a modern Kalashnikov assault rifle, the bear could nevertheless kill the hunter. In the Middle Ages, a spear was often used against bears - a long and heavy spear that made it possible to keep a clubfoot at a safe distance from the hunter.
- Bears, despite their wild nature, can be trained, as evidenced by modern performances of bears in circuses and medieval performances of the so-called “learned bears.”
Bears don't have much variety
Bears are a small group of predominantly large mammals. There are a total of 12 species and subspecies of bears in 5 genera (Ursus, Tremarctos, Melursus, Helarctos and Ailuropoda). Despite the small number of species, members of this family are widespread and culturally significant for human populations throughout their ranges.
The Malayan bear (Helarctos malayanus) is the smallest bear species, often weighing less than 50 kg. Kodiak is the largest subspecies of brown bear. However, the polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is considered the largest species of bear, weighing up to 800 kg.
Malayan bear
(Helarctos malayanus), or biruang, lives in the tropical and subtropical forests of the foothills and mountains of Southeast Asia. It is distributed from northeastern India (Assam) and possibly southern and central China (Sichuan) through Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Malaysia to Indonesia (Sumatra and Borneo). It has short, smooth black fur that usually fades to light brown on the legs and whitish or orange-yellow on the face; on the chest there is a large whitish or orange-yellow spot in the shape of a horseshoe. This marking, reminiscent in shape and color of the rising sun, explains the Latin name of the genus, meaning “sun bear.” The smallest representative of the family, it reaches a length of 1.4 m (plus a 5 cm tail) with a height at the withers of 70 cm and a weight of just over 100 kg. Feeds on lizards and other small vertebrates, insects and fruits; loves honey very much.
How long does a polar bear live?
Oddly enough, polar bears live longer in captivity than in their natural habitat. The average life expectancy in this case does not exceed 20-30 years, while a zoo inhabitant is quite capable of living over 45-50 years. This is due to the shrinking food supply, the annual melting of glaciers and the ongoing extermination of predators by humans.
In Russia, polar bear hunting is prohibited, but in other countries there are only some restrictions on this matter, allowing the extermination of no more than several hundred predators per year. In most cases, such hunting has nothing to do with the real needs for meat and skins, and therefore is a real barbarism in relation to this beautiful and powerful animal.
Sloth bear,
or “sloth bear,” so called for its slow gait; The Latin name (Melursus ursinus) indicates a love of honey (meli). The sloth fish lives in tropical and subtropical forests of India and Sri Lanka. It has long and shaggy fur, especially on the shoulders, which is mostly black but often mixed with grey, brown or reddish hair. Sometimes they predominate, and red or reddish-brown spongers are found. The muzzle is gray or yellowish. The claws are whitish. On the chest there is a distinct whitish, yellowish or reddish-brown spot, similar to the letter V or Y. The sloth bear, like the anteater, during evolution specialized in feeding on colonial insects. Its lips and muzzle are almost bare and very mobile, and its nostrils can close at will. The teeth are small, and the two central upper incisors are missing, creating a passage that continues the “tube” of elongated movable lips, necessary when extracting, for example, termites. Having opened the termite mound with its powerful claws, the bear closes its nostrils to prevent dust from getting into them, and loudly draws in air with its lips, sucking insects out of the nest. The sloth fish reaches a length of 1.8 m (plus a 12 cm tail) with a height at the withers of 91.5 cm and a weight of approx. 135 kg.
Who is the polar bear afraid of?
In its natural habitat, a bear has a minimal number of enemies. If an animal is wounded or sick, it can be attacked by walruses, killer whales, wolves, arctic foxes and even dogs. A healthy bear is larger than any of the named predators and can easily cope with even several opponents attacking en masse. A sick animal takes a significant risk and often prefers to avoid battle by resting in a den.
Sometimes small bear cubs, whose mother has gone hunting or is inattentively watching them, become prey for wolves and dogs. The life of the bear is also threatened by poachers who are interested in killing the animal in order to obtain its luxurious skin and large amounts of meat.
