Bear Facts

Height
They average 3-9 feet tall.

Weight
Within the bear species, weights vary widely from the smallest at 60 pounds (Malayan Sun Bear) to a maximum of 1,500 pounds (Polar Bear).

Food
Bears eat bamboo, honey bees' nests, fruit, salmon, and seals.

Life Span
Bears have a life span of 15 years to sometimes more than 30 years in the wild.

Reproduction
Bears have 1 to 4 cubs per year. The cubs are born very small and require maternal care for two or three years after birth.

Colors
Panda Bears have distinct black and white markings. Polar Bears have fur that is nearly as white as the snow of their surroundings. The remaining bear species are brown or black, and each bear's markings are as individualistic as a human fingerprint.

Habitat
Forests and mountains in North & South America, Europe, and Asia provide homes for bears.

Interesting Facts
Polar bears have the best vision of all bears with special adaptations that allow them to see underwater and to filter snow glare.

It is believed that black bears have much better hearing than humans.

The bear's sense of smell is 7 times stronger than that of a bloodhound. Bears rely on their sense of smell to locate mates, detect and avoid danger in the form of other bears and humans, identify cubs, and find food.

In Scandinavia, there was a firm belief in the ability of some people to change into or assume the characteristics of bears.

Although the winter torpor of some species usually has not been called hibernation, recent studies suggest that black, brown, and polar bears are true hibernators, going without food or elimination of metabolic wastes for three to five months, and as long as seven months in northern Alaska.

Learning plays a large role in a cub's ability to obtain food. Its relatively slow development and long tie with its mother allow it to observe the mother's skills and to remember sites and experiences.

Sub Species
Fossil records and historical data indicate that at one time there may have been hundreds of bear species worldwide, on all continents except Antarctica and Australia. Today, eight bear species remain in North and South America, Europe, and Asia-- Asiatic Black Bears, American Black Bears, Brown Bears, Giant Pandas, Polar Bears, Sloth Bears, Spectacled Bears and Sun Bears.