Fun Fact 2: There are seven different species of Bears which are; The American Black Bear (Ursus americanus), Brown Bear or Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos), Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus), Asiatic Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus), Sloth Bear (Melursus ursinus), Malayan Sun Bear (Helarctos malayanus) and the Specticled Bear (Tremarctos ornatus)
Fun Fact 3: Bears generally live on mountains, in the forest, or in the arctic. Their diet varies according to their environment, Polar bears are meat eaters and all others will eat plants, grass and insects
Fun Fact 4: So what is a grizzly bear? A grizzly bear is closely related, or a subspecies, of the European and Asian brown bear - they can be found in Western North America and were officially named in 1815. The grizzly bear was given its name due to the grey hairs in it's fur giving them a grizzled appearance, they are also known as the silvertip bear
Fun Fact 5: Black bears and Grizzlies are often hard to distinguish as the colours of their coats can be very similar. Generally black bears are smaller in size, and both brown bears and grizzly bears have a distinctive hump on their back which black bears do not have
Fun Fact 6: The track markings between black bears and grizzly bears differ in that, the paw print of a black bear will show claw marks close to the paw imprint, where as the grizzly paw print will display a bigger separation from the paw print
Fun Fact 7: The correct name for a male bear is a boar or he-bear, a female is referred to as a sow or she-bear and the correct term the offspring, or a baby bear, is a cub
Fun Fact 8: Bears have a keen sense of smell, and mark their territory by clawing, biting and rubbing trees with their scent
Fun Fact 9: Many species of bear hibernate for the winter; generally they hibernate between 3 to 5 months
Fun Fact 10: The average life span of the sloth bear and black bear living in the wild is 25-30 years, a wild brown bear is expected to live for 20 - 25 years, and the expected life span of a polar bear in the wild is just 15-18 years
Fun Fact 11: The sloth bear is native to India and the subcontinents. They differ from Black and brown bears, their bodies have longer, slimmer frames, the coats are shaggier and form a mane-like frame around the face. They are nocturnal mammals that feed on insects, termites and fruit they have long curved claws for digging and large adapted lower lips that suck insects. Sloth bears are the only bears that transport their offspring on their backs
Fun Fact 12: The fur of a Polar bear is not white! The fur has thick, hollow hairs that reflect light which makes the coat look white. Another surprising fact is that their skin is black
Fun Fact 13: It's a fact - the Polar bear is the world's biggest bear! Males can grow up to 11 feet long and weigh over 1500 lbs compared to a brown bear which can reach the height of 6.5 feet and weigh 600lbs
Fun Fact 14: Polar bears are protected from the extreme cold by their thick coats and their blubber, which can be up to 10cm or 3.9 inches thick
Fun Fact 15: Wild life experts have evaluated some types of Bear as endangered species. The polar bear is just one species that has been classified as a vulnerable, endangered species - over 50% of the polar bear populations in decline. Global warming, resulting in the changing of the its habitat is the most significant fact that threatens the existence of the polar bear |
