BEARS

Bears are big, carnivorous (flesh-eating) mammals with shaggy fur. They are closely related to dogs, but are much larger and have no tail. Big bears may grow up to 10 feet in length. They have thick, powerful legs and strong claws. In spite of their size, bears

are nimble creatures, climbing quickly up trees and over boulders. Except for the polar bear, they are mainly forest animals.

In many stories, bears are shown as friendly animals, and they are popular for their tricks – such as standing on their hind legs – in captivity. But they are dangerous animals. In the wild, they may attack, kill, and eat a man without warning. Their normal food consists of small animals of all kinds, fish, birds’ eggs, and even farm animals. But they also eat fruits, berries, roots, and other plant foods. They are very fond of honey.

Most bears live in the northern hemisphere. The black bear of North America is among the most numerous. It reaches a weight of about 300lb, and, in spite of its name, may be brown. The Asian black bear is a quite different species that lives in the Himalayas, China, and Japan. It has a white V-shaped marking on the chest.

The brown bear of Europe and northern Asia – and the almost identical grizzly bear of North America – is much bigger than the black bear, weighing up to 1500 lb. in spite of this size; brown bears are extremely quick and swim well. They are very powerful and are probably the most dangerous of all bears.

Polar bears are perhaps the best known bears. They live on Arctic ice flows, where their yellowish-white fur gives them good camouflage. Their main food is seal meat, but they also eat some fish, birds, and birds’ eggs. They roam constantly, looking for food, but the female may spend the winter in a den under the snow where the young are born. Fully grown polar bears weigh up to about 1600lb.

Other bears include the spectacled bear of South America, the sun bear of Asia, and the long-nosed sloth bear of India.