Page 22 - Present Day Wildlife_Float

Bears (Order Carnivora) are large short-tailed mammals. There are 8 recognised species of bears
including 46 subspecies found in 5 genera in the family Ursidae*in the superfamily: Ursoidea. Bears
are found exclusively in the northern hemisphere across the Americas, Europe, and Asia, with the Spec-
tacled bear of South America’s the only one south of the equator, while Africa and Australia have no
bears. The most widespread species is the brown bear, found across Western Europe eastwards through
Asia to the western areas of North America, while the American black bear is restricted to North Ameri-
ca, and the polar bear to the Arctic Sea. All remaining species are found in Asia. The smallest of the spe-
cies is the Sun bear, which weighs
around 25 to 65 kg and has a length of
around 100 to 140 cm. The largest of the
species is the polar bear, weighing
around 350 to 700 kg with a length of
around 3 metres. However, another con-
tender, often cited as the world’s largest
carnivorous mammal, is the Kodiak
bear, a subspecies of the
Brown bear, found only
on Kodiak Island and
neighbouring islands in
the Gulf of Alaska. It
weighs around 725 kg.
*Family Ursidae
Genus Ailuropoda Most bears are om-
Giant panda nivores, living on roots, nuts, berries and plants. They also
2 subspecies prey on rodents, fish, deer, pigs, and seals. However, some
individual species seem to have a particular preference. For
Genus Tremarctos instance, the panda bear has developed a bony sixth digit
Spectacled bear that acts like a thumb helping it hold and manipulate bam-
Genus Helarctos boo; its favourite food, while the sun bear seems to revel in
Sun bear raiding bee’s nests for their honey, so-much-so, that it’s been
labelled the ‘Honey bear’. The Asian sloth bear has devel-
2 subspecies oped a long tongue and funnel-like lips for raiding the nests
Genus Ursus of its favourite food; termites. All bears will resort to eating
Asian black bear fish when available, but the Brown bears’ love of fish and its
7 subspecies expert fishing technique has earned it the reputation as the
American black bear most skilful fisher among bears. The only true carnivore of
the species is the Polar bear, living on most Artic wildlife like
16 subspecies seals and penguins. Many, however, cite a subspecies of the
Polar bear Brown bear, the Kodiak bear, as another true carnivore.
2 subspecies
Bears live in various environments across the globe and
Brown bear it’s the environment and the availability of food that dictates
15 subspecies whether they winter hibernate. Asian black bears in the
Subfamily Ursinae north of their region will hibernate while those in the south
Genus Melursus will not. Polar bears will dig out a snow den and hibernate
Sloth bear over winter, however, if they choose to move farther south
and find enough food they will not hibernate. Bears that do
2 subspecies hibernate, like American black bear, and in some regions the
Brown bear, must find enough food and store it as fat to sus-
tain them during their months of hibernation. Bears that fail to store enough fat could
starve to death.

All bears have an acute sense of smell, hearing and sight, and although they
look big and slow they can run incredibly fast; easily outrunning humans. Their acute
sense of smell can detect potential prey or dead animals from a long distance off, and
their excellent hearing warns them of any impending dangers. Due to their size and
paws equipped with clawed digits hardened by years of digging for food, bears have few
natural predators willing to attack a large healthy bear. One predator however, - man -
has no such reservations. For centuries he has hunted bears for their fur their meat and
captured them for display in cages and on fairgrounds, where they are forced to per-
form and pander to man’s perverse idea of entertainment