What is the black and white bear called? Bears and their species

Jackals. In contrast, clubfooted animals are stockier and more powerful. Like other canids, bears are predators, but sometimes they feast on berries, mushrooms and honey.

There are also pseudo-clubfooted animals that do not belong to canines or even predatory animals. The name bear is given only because external resemblance with true representatives of the family.

Real bears

The second name for bears is plantigrade. Having wide legs, clubfoots step completely on them. Other canids, as a rule, touch the ground with only part of their paws, as if walking on their toes. This is how animals speed up. Bears cannot reach a speed of more than 50 kilometers per hour.

Brown bear

Included in types of bears in Russia, the most numerous and popular in the country. However, the largest clubfoot was caught outside the Federation, on the American island of Kodiak. From there they took the animal for the Berlin Zoo. I came across a bear weighing 1134 kilograms when the norm is 150-500 kilograms.

It is assumed that brown came to America about 40 million years ago through the Bering Isthmus. The animals came from Asia, where representatives of the species are also found.

The largest clubfoot in Russia are found on the Kamchatka Peninsula. Giants live there for 20-30 years. In captivity, with good maintenance, bears live up to half a century.

Polar bear

Based on its habitat, it is called polar. The scientific name of the species is translated in Latin as “sea bear.” Predators are associated with snow and the vastness of the ocean. Polars hunt in the water, catching fish and seals.

The ocean does not prevent the migration of polar clubfoot. They travel hundreds of kilometers on water, using their wide front feet like oars. The hind legs act as a steering wheel. When going out on ice floes, bears do not slide because they have rough feet.

The animal is the largest among terrestrial predators. The predator reaches 3 meters in length. The standard weight is 700 kilograms. So polar bear species awesome. In nature, animals have no enemies except humans.

Studying types of bears, only the polar one will find hollow wool. The hairs are empty from the inside. Firstly, it provides an additional layer of air in the fur coat. Gas is a poor conductor of heat and does not release it from the skin of a predator.

Secondly, the cavities in the white hairs are needed to reflect light. In fact, the fur of clubfoot is colorless. The hair only looks white, allowing the predator to blend in with the surrounding snow.

Himalayan bear

Otherwise called the Asian black bear. It is distinguished by large ears, an elegant physique by the standards of clubfoot, and an elongated muzzle.

The Himalayan habitat extends from Iran to Japan. The predator chooses mountainous areas. Hence the name of the species. In Russia, its representatives live beyond the Amur, as a rule, in the Ussuri region.

The black bear is named for its dark fur color. On the head and neck it is longer, forming something like a mane. There is a predator on the chest White spot. However, there are subspecies of the animal without it.

The maximum weight of the Himalayan bear is 140 kilograms. The animal reaches one and a half meters in length. But the claws of a predator are thicker and larger than those of brown and polar individuals. The reason is the black bear's lifestyle. He spends most of his time in trees. The claws help to climb them.

The Asian clubfoot cannot be called a formidable predator. Of animal food, the bear usually eats only insects. The basis of the diet is herbs, roots, berries, and acorns.

Baribal

An alternative name is black bear. It lives in Northern, especially in the east of the continent. The appearance of the predator is close to the appearance of the brown clubfoot. However, the baribal has more prominent shoulders, lower ears and, as the name suggests, black fur. However, on the face it is lighter.

The name of the animal is similar to the name of the family to which it is assigned. There are no other members of the family. This, by the way, also applies to the red panda. She is also one of a kind.

The closest relative of the koala is, and not a bear at all, and not even little panda.

About 30 million years ago, 18 species of marsupial “bears” lived on the planet. There were also unprecedented modern man true clubfoot. Among them, 5-6 species became extinct.

Extinct bears

The number of extinct bears is vague because the existence of one species is in question. There is a glimmer of hope that the Tibetan clubfoot still exists, although for a long time it has not been seen by people or captured by video cameras. If you see one, let the scientists know. The bear looks like a brown one, but the front part of the body is reddish. The animal's withers are almost black. In the groin area the fur is red. The rest of the fur on the back of the predator is dark brown. The bear lived in the east of the Tibetan plateau.

California grizzly

It appears on the California flag, but has not been found in the state or beyond since 1922. Then they killed the last representative type of animal.

Bear was distinguished by its golden coat color. The beast was a totemic animal among the Indians. The Redskins believed that they were descended from grizzly bears, so they did not hunt the ancestor. The white settlers exterminated the clubfoot.

Mexican grizzly

Officially declared extinct in the 60s of the last century. The animal was large, weighing approximately 360 kilograms.

The Mexican grizzly bear was distinguished by whitish claws on its front paws, small ears and a high forehead.

Etruscan bear

Fossil species, lived back in the Pliocene. This geological period ended 2.5 million years ago. The second name of the predator is short-faced bear. This is the one with 13 pairs of ribs.

Skeletons of Etruscan bears are found only in southern latitudes. Therefore, scientists assume that the animal was heat-loving. It is also known that the extinct animal was large, weighing approximately 600 kilograms.

Atlas bear

Inhabited lands from Morocco to Libya. The last individual was killed by hunters in the 1870s. Externally, the animal was distinguished by reddish fur on the underside of the body and dark brown hair on top. There was a white spot on the bear's face.

Unlike most bears, the Atlas bear preferred desert and arid areas. The name of the species is associated with the chain of mountains where the clubfoot lived. Zoologists classified them as subspecies brown bear.

Giant polar bear

Appearance of a polar bear was similar to the appearance of the modern one. Only the beast reached 4 meters in length and weighed 1200 kilograms. Such giants lived on the planet 100 thousand years ago.

So far, scientists have found the only ulna bone giant bear. The bone was discovered in Pleistocene sediments in Great Britain.

The survival of modern polar bears is also in question. The number of the species is sharply declining. This is due to climate change. Glaciers are melting. Animals have to make increasingly longer swims. Many predators reach the shore exhausted. Meanwhile, it is not easy for bears that are full of energy to get food in the snowy expanses.

Bears are a genus of mammals. He belongs to the order of predators. Bears - along with canines, cats, hyenas - are one of its families. There are 8 species of clubfoot. Clubfoot, by the way, is caused by the structure of the skeleton.

The animal rests its hind legs on the entire foot. This made my back sloping. In most mammals, the hind legs, like the front legs, rest only on the heads of the metatarsus, roughly speaking, on the toes. Therefore, the back of the animals is straight, and the limbs rest on their paws.

The front paws of bears tend to be suspended in the air. Hence the clumsy gait and love for walking, standing on hind legs. However, each type of bear also has individual characteristics buildings.

White bears

They are descendants of the giant polar bear. He lived on Earth during the Pleistocene. This era Quaternary period began 2.5 million years ago. Back then, polar bears were 4 meters tall and weighed about 1,200 kilograms. Modern specimens are never larger than a ton or longer than 3 meters. The population is not divided into kinds.

Polar bear It is distinguished from others by its elongated neck and flattened head. She has small ears. This is how predators stay warm. The ears are riddled with blood vessels. They come close to the skin, transferring heat to the blood environment.

Therefore, desert animals often have large hearing organs, while arctic animals often have small ones.

White - most great view bear. The competitor is the grizzly bear. However, this subspecies of brown clubfoot is about a third smaller than the average polar one. The largest grizzly bear was equal in weight to a polar bear. The mass of the beast was 726 kilograms. A giant grizzly bear was killed in Alaska.

Like grizzly bears, polar bears are listed as vulnerable. The population is declining due to development and pollution of the pole. It is also melting before our eyes due to global warming. Bears begin to die while crossing the water surface. In order to get to land and ice floes, one has to travel greater distances than just a few decades ago.

At last count, there are 25 thousand polar bears left. If the environment continues to change in the intended direction, in half a century the number of the species will decrease by another 70%.

Brown bears

Types of brown bears distributed in Eurasian and North American forests. Zoologists call subtypes geographic races, since the characteristics of animals depend on their habitat.

IN middle lane In Russia, for example, clubfoot weighs 120 kilograms, and their length rarely exceeds 2 meters. On Far East brown bears stretch up to 3 meters and can gain a mass of 450 kilograms.

There is also a more detailed division of subspecies. In the Far East there are:

Amur brown bear

Otherwise called Ussuri or black grizzly. Dark fur is not the only difference between the animal and other clubfooted animals. The Amur bear has elongated nasal bones and the skull itself is elongated and has a flattened profile. The mouth has large teeth. They resemble dogs. Therefore, the local population calls the clubfooted dog bears.

Although the species is called Ussuri, it lives not only near the city of Ussuriysk and in Ussuri. Amur bears are found in the south of the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin. Individuals of the subspecies are rarely heavier than 250 kilograms.

Kamchatka brown bear

Enriches bear family power. An individual weighing 600 kilograms was reliably recorded. The average weight of a male is 350-450 kilos. The weight and size are affected by the food supply. Its basis is nutritious, fatty meat of salmon and other migratory fish. Their clubfoot fish are caught in rivers and off the coast of Kamchatka.

The gigantism of representatives of the Kamchatka subspecies is also due to the mild climate of the region. In it, bears develop a powerful, wide skull with a short nose and a pronounced rise of the forehead above it. The muzzle, like the whole body, is colored brown-black or pale yellow.

In addition to the Kamchatka Peninsula, representatives of the subspecies are found on Karaginsky Island and in the forests of the Karyag Autonomous Okrug.

In addition to the Kamchatka and Amur subspecies, Russia is inhabited by:

East Siberian subspecies

Looks like a smaller copy of the Kamchatka bear. East Siberian individuals also have longer, shinier fur. The color of clubfoot is brown with darkening on the paws.

The East Siberian bear has long, curved claws. They extend to 8.5 centimeters.

Kamchatka and Amur types of bears The habitat does not overlap with the East Siberian one. It is found from the Yenisei to Transbaikalia, in Yakutia, the Kolyma and Lena basins, on the border with Eastern Kazakhstan.

Caucasian brown bear

It is divided into 2 forms - large and small. The body length of representatives of the latter does not exceed 140 centimeters. The small Caucasian bear weighs about 60 kilograms. Large individuals stretch 2 meters, gaining a mass of 120-240 kilos.

Caucasian species of brown bears rarely meet together. Large individuals prefer dense, lowland forests. Small clubfooted ones climb into mountain open forests.

Animals also differ in their personalities. The Great Caucasian bear is more peaceful. But the direction of species beyond the borders of Russia coincides. Within the federation, clubfoot is found only in the Caucasus. Abroad, there are populations in Iran, Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan.

Externally, both Caucasian bears are close to the endangered Syrian bear. It is distinguished by dirty yellow fur. You can meet individuals of the species only in zoos. IN wildlife The species is considered conditionally extinct. The status has not been officially assigned, since hopes remain to find bears outside of Syria and Lebanon, for example, in Turkey.

Eurasian brown bear

Included in types of bears in Russia, as large, with a concave facial disc, a large head set on a muscular neck. A distinct hump is visible at the withers.

Juveniles of the species are distinguished by a pronounced white collar. It disappears in adult bears. The coat of mature clubfoot is uniformly colored in gray-brown or brown-black tones.

Fragmentary Eurasian individuals can be found from the Ural mountains to the Yenisei basin. The main population lives in the north of the European part.

In addition to Russian subspecies of brown bear, there are foreign ones. These include:

North American grizzly bear

Among the brown ones it is largest species of bear. Some individuals are more than 3 meters in length and weigh 800 kilograms. The clubfoot species is also aggressive. Human remains were found in the stomachs of killed predators.

The grizzly bear's fur on the back and shoulder blades is gray rather than brown. Representatives are also distinguished by 15-centimeter claws, miniature and rounded ears. The latter, like polar bears, retain body heat, since grizzlies live in the harsh conditions of the northern USA and Canada.

Kodiak

Named after the archipelago where it lives. The land is located off the southern coast of Alaska. To Kodiak during the times ice age the grizzlies moved over. Warming has led to the melting of ice. So part of the population remained isolated from the mainland.

On the archipelago, grizzlies transformed into Kodiaks - larger and more powerful. Among the population there are individuals weighing about a ton. This is the result of living on lands where there is a food supply, but there are no enemies, not even people.

Tien Shan brown bear

He has light colored claws. But the coloring of bears of the subspecies is changeable. There are beige, red, almost black, brown individuals.

Tien Shan type and class of bear opened in 1873. The clubfoot differs from others in its sparse fur, almost uncurved and blunt claws, and short muzzle.

Considered a predator, this bear's diet consists of 99% plant foods. The remaining percentage comes from 20 animal species. Among plants, 110 types of herbs and 40 berry crops are used for food.

Sloth bear

This is a separate species. Like the white one, it has no subspecies. The name is related to the structure of the lips. They are elongated and fold into a tube-like structure when eating. Thanks to this, the animal’s muzzle looks elongated, however, and is actually longer than that of most bears.

The bear family (Ursidae) includes the largest representatives of the order of carnivores (Carnivora), as well as some of the most intelligent animals on our planet. And although bears are predatory animals, they all eat food of plant origin, since in fact they are omnivores. Some species have evolved so far from a meat-based diet that they have become almost exclusively vegetarian. Currently, there are 8 species of bears divided into 5 genera.

White, or polar bear (Ursus maritimus) - the largest and also the most carnivorous of all bears. Males weigh on average approximately 450-500 kg, often reaching a weight of 800 kg, and in rare cases even a whole ton. The weight of females averages about 320 kg. Compared to its brown relative, polar bear has a slimmer physique: he has a stretched format, he has Long neck and a relatively smaller head. The polar bear's paws are simply huge. Its claws are much shorter than those of a brown bear, but slightly thicker and sharper. Such claws are necessary for a polar bear to climb on how many ice floes.
All bears are good swimmers and most of them love water, but the polar bear is the best swimmer of all. This is a tireless traveler who can cover truly enormous distances in a day, both by land and by swimming. There have been cases when polar bears were encountered several hundred kilometers from the nearest shore or ice floe.

Brown bear (Ursus arctos)- the most common species of bear, capable of adapting to the most different places a habitat. Brown bears feel great in the taiga, semi-deserts, mountains and beyond the Arctic Circle.
Due to the huge distribution area of ​​the brown bear, many subspecies have formed, which differ greatly from each other in size and appearance. There is probably no other animal on Earth that exhibits such a range in weight. The smallest bears of this species weigh about 100 kg (sometimes even less), and the weight of the largest ones sometimes reaches a whole ton and they are not inferior in size to a polar bear. The largest subspecies of brown bear is the Kodiak. It was the bear of this subspecies that reached a record size among all predators - the weight of this giant was almost one and a half tons. However, nevertheless, it is polar bears that are considered the largest, since on average they are noticeably larger than brown bears, whose Weight Limit even very large males usually do not exceed 800 kg. Other giant subspecies of brown bear include the Kamchatka and Ussuri brown bears, slightly inferior to the grizzly bear. Among the smallest are the Syrian and Himalayan brown bears, as well as brown bears from Europe.

Black bear, or baribal ( Ursus americanus) found exclusively in North America, where it is much more widespread than the brown bear.
Baribal is in many ways similar to its closest relative, the brown bear, but it is noticeably smaller in size, it has a narrower head and larger ears (at least they seem larger). The weight of baribal is usually approximately 150-200 kg, but sometimes the weight of some males exceeds 250 kg. The coat color is black or dark brown, the muzzle is always lighter. The claws of this bear are large, but they are very different from the brown claws: they are much sharper and more curved, since this bear often climbs trees and climbs quite well, given its considerable weight.

Himalayan, white-breasted, or Asian black bear (Ursus thibetanus) approximately the size of a baribal, but noticeably different from it in the structure of the skull. The coat color is the same as that of a black bear, but there is always a white spot on the chest in the shape of the Latin letter "V". The coat is coarse and long.
The Himalayan bear is a serious and very brave animal. He hunts infrequently, but he can easily take prey from a leopard, and sometimes even (in rare cases) from a Bengal tiger.

Sloth bear (Melursus ursinus) a very unique look. Its diet is based on termites and ants. Due to the specifics of its diet, the sloth fish has acquired a number of features: a pair of incisors on the upper jaw is missing, long tongue and large moving lips, thanks to which he got his Russian name. The claws of the sloth bear are not inferior in size to the claws of the brown bear and they look simply terrifying, especially relative to the size of this small bear. Such claws are necessary for the sponger to destroy hard termite mounds. In addition to insects, the sloth fish also eats other small animals, bird eggs, etc.
The color of the sloth bear is similar to that of the Himalayan bear, with the same characteristic spot on the chest. The coat is long and shaggy. Sponge whales weigh on average 80-100 kg, but some males can reach 140 kg.

Malayan bear, or biruang (Helarctos malayanus)- the smallest of the bear family. Usually they weigh about 40-50 kg, sometimes less, or a little more. The coat is black, short and close-lying. There is a white spot on the chest in the shape of the Latin letter "V". The biruang is not picky when it comes to food. He eats everything he can get. The basis of the diet is earthworms, termites, bees and the fruits of various trees, on which he climbs well.

Spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus)- the only representative of the bear family in South America. The spectacled bear prefers mountain forests, but sometimes descends into more open spaces. Often climbs trees and is a good climber. Along with the giant panda, this is the most herbivorous of the bears. The weight of a spectacled bear is approximately 100-150 kg, on average about 130.

Giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)- the most unique type of bear. For a long time There was debate among scientists about which family the giant panda should belong to, the raccoonidae or the bearidae. However, it has now become clear that despite a number of features that bring it closer to raccoons, the panda nevertheless belongs to the bear family. Similarities big panda with representatives of the raccoon family is determined by the specifics of its diet, that is, this is nothing more than convergence (if you look at the skull of this animal, you can see that it is very similar to the skull of a striped raccoon). Feeds big panda almost exclusively with young bamboo shoots. This is a tightly built animal with a massive head and short legs. Her fangs are smaller than those of other bears, but, nevertheless, quite thick. The weight of a giant panda ranges from about 80 to 125 kg (on average about 100).

Photos:

Polar bear.

Brown bear.

Black bear, or baribal.

Himalayan bear.

Sloth bear.

Malayan bear.

Spectacled bear.

Big panda.

Bears are the largest carnivorous mammals living mainly in the northern hemisphere of our Planet. They can live in steppes, forests, highlands and in arctic ice. Therefore, the lifestyle and nutrition of different species are very different.

All bears living on our Planet belong to the class of mammals, order - carnivores (suborder - canids), family - bears. Canine animals are characterized by the presence of a sharp muzzle and the fact that they cannot retract their claws, like carnivores from the suborder Felidae.

The bear family unites eight species of bears: brown bear, polar bear, black bear Baribal, Himalayan bear, spectacled bear, Sloth bear, Malayan bear - Biruang, Giant Panda.

2 Polar bear.

3 Black bear - Baribal.

7 Malayan bear – Biruang

Map of the distribution of bears on the Planet.

Anatomy.

Compared to other families of the order Carnivora, the bear family is characterized by the uniformity of their appearance and internal structure. All of them are terrestrial animals and the most large predators. For example, a polar bear can reach a length of up to three meters and weigh up to 725 kg. The smallest bear is considered to be the Malayan bear - Biruang. It does not grow higher than 1.5 meters and weighs up to 65 kg. Males are always larger than females.

In Polar bears, the male is almost twice as large as the female. All bear fur is thick, tall, coarse and shaggy. Only in the Malayan bear is it rare and low. They do not change color with the seasons. Basically it is monochromatic. But Panda's color is black and white (contrasting). All individuals have a stocky, powerful body with a short thick neck and high withers. Their strong five-fingered paws have long claws, thanks to which bears dig the ground and climb trees. If a bear has very long claws (for example, a Grizzly bear's claws are 15 cm long), then he cannot climb trees. The number of teeth is from 32-42 pieces. The sense of smell is better developed than that of dogs, but vision and hearing are slightly weaker.

Lifestyle.

The life expectancy of bears is 25-40 years. They have practically no enemies. The only animal that can hunt a bear is the tiger. But he doesn’t really want to date him either. Bears can live in different conditions from steppes to arctic ice. They mainly live in forests of temperate and tropical latitudes. Some species are attached to water. If the Brown Bear can be found in the steppes, forests and sea coasts, then the Polar Bear lives only in the Arctic and is classified as semi-aquatic. The Malayan bear climbs trees well and builds nests on them. Bears are mainly active at night, but the polar bear is a diurnal animal. All of them are omnivores by nature of nutrition. But there are also those who prefer more plant foods (Panda) or animal foods (Polar Bear). There are species that hibernate in winter (Brown bear, Baribal and Himalayan). The rest do not sleep in winter.

Reproduction.

Bears begin to reproduce after the third year of their life. A female bear gives birth at intervals of one to four years. A litter can have one or five cubs. Babies are born blind and weigh from 90 – 680 grams. The male usually does not care for his offspring. The female feeds her children with milk from three and a half (Himalayan bear) to nine (Panda) months. Young individuals can stay close to their mother for up to 18 months.

Bears are the largest of the predators living on our planet, both in size and power they exceed more than famous lion and a tiger. However, bears themselves are also very popular - these animals have been familiar to people since ancient times; among the peoples of all continents they were revered as the personification of strength. People, on the one hand, worshiped the irresistible power of the bear, and on the other hand, considered it a desirable and honorable hunting trophy.

Brown bears (Ursus arctos).

Systematically, bears represent a small (only 8 species) and fairly homogeneous family of bears. All species of this family have a powerful body, thick strong limbs, armed with long curved claws. All bears are plantigrade, that is, when walking, they rest on the ground with the entire plane of the foot. Because of this, they are not very graceful and maneuverable in movement; the bear's clubbed gait has become synonymous with clumsiness.

Bears' paws are wide and flat.

However, the bear is not as simple as it seems at first glance; if necessary, it can make dashes at speeds of up to 50 km/h. The teeth of bears also differ from the teeth of other predators - they are relatively small, which is due to the nature of their diet. Among bears, perhaps only the white one can be called a typical meat eater, the other species are practically omnivores, and the spectacled bear is even more of a vegetarian than a predator. The body of all types of bears is covered with thick, coarse hair.

Black bear (Ursus americanus) during molting.

This fur, on the one hand, allows bears to endure severe cold and colonize the northernmost habitats; on the other hand, it slows down their spread to the south. Modern views Bears live on all continents except Africa and Australia. The koala living in Australia, although similar in appearance to little bear, has nothing to do with these animals.

Bears lead a solitary lifestyle and meet each other only to mate. At the same time, the male behaves aggressively and can kill the cubs if they are still near the mother. Bears are very caring mothers and do their best to protect their babies from danger. Different types Although bears retain a general typological similarity, they differ from each other in appearance, habits and way of life.

Brown bear (Ursus arctos)

It ranks second in size after the polar bear. The largest specimens are found in the Far East and Alaska (the so-called Kodiak bears) and reach a weight of 750 kg. Smaller subspecies can weigh only 80-120 kg. Brown bears are generally distinguished by a wide variety of subspecies: among them you can find both small and large size, with a color ranging from light straw to almost black.

This brown bear has a very light, almost white color.

This is due to the fact that the brown bear occupies the most extensive (in terms of coverage) natural areas) range, and in different parts of it animals are forced to adapt to different climatic conditions. In general, the further north you go, the larger bears, and vice versa. This happens because in the north it is easier for large animals to stay warm, while in the south, on the contrary, smaller specimens have an advantage. The range of the brown bear covers the whole of Eurasia and North America with the exception of the extreme south of these continents. Almost everywhere, bears have become rare animals; due to the dense population and lack of territory, they simply have nowhere to live. In relatively large quantities they survive in sparsely populated areas of the United States, Canada and Siberia. By the way, the American grizzly bear is not a separate species of bear, but just a local name for the brown bear.

A characteristic feature of this species is winter dream, in which animals spend up to half of their lives. To do this, bears look for secluded dens in windbreaks and caves, and in the absence of suitable shelters, they dig primitive burrows. Such a den very effectively hides the bear from prying eyes all winter. Bears hibernate in October-November and wake up in March-April. They actually spend all this time in deep sleep, from which only serious danger or hunger can awaken them. Hungry bears, who do not have fat reserves for a safe winter, emerge from hibernation early or do not sleep at all. Such bears are called “connecting rods”. "Connecting rods" are very aggressive and can even attack a person. Usually, bears prefer solitude and try not to be seen by humans. Moreover, a bear taken by surprise may display cowardice that is shameful for such a giant. Experienced hunters know well that a sudden sound can cause a bear... acute intestinal upset! This is where the expression “bear disease” originates.

Brown bears feed on almost everything that comes their way. They happily eat berries, mushrooms, nuts and other fruits; they will not refuse young greens; they hunt ungulates, ranging from small roe deer to large elk. But their diet is not limited to ungulates alone; on occasion, they can fish, get shellfish, and do not disdain carrion. They especially like ants, which the bear simply licks from the surface of the anthill in the thousands. A bear will not miss a nest of wild bees or an apiary in the hope of getting honey and larvae.

A young brown bear examines the bark of a tree in search of edible animals.

The rivers in which salmon spawn are under special control by bears. Every autumn, with the beginning of spawning, bears gather on their banks and begin mass fishing. To do this, the bear enters the water and waits patiently for the salmon to swim past. Bears catch fish jumping out of the water on rapids literally on the fly. Thanks to such fishing, bears fatten up before going into hibernation. For this reason, they even forget about enmity and are tolerant of each other as long as there is enough food for everyone. In search of plant food, bears show miracles of dexterity and even climb trees with ease, which is surprising for animals of such dimensions.

Roaring males engage in fierce fights with each other.

The bear rut lasts throughout the summer.

A mother bear feeds her cubs while lying down.

In this case, bears can injure and even kill the enemy. Pregnancy is relatively short - 6-8 months. A bear gives birth in a dream, or rather during hibernation 2-3 (less often 1 or 4) bear cubs. Babies are born very small, weighing only 500 g. They spend the first months of life in a den with their mother, from where they emerge as adults.

Little bear cubs are very meek and obedient. This property is often used by animal trainers who raise bears from an early age. Bear cubs quickly learn tricks and perform them until they are approximately 2-3 years old. Then the matured animals become dangerous and, as a rule, give way to younger ones. In nature, cubs also stay near their mother for two years. Moreover, the older cubs from last year help the mother bear look after the younger ones. At the age of two years, young bears leave their mother and begin an independent life.

Polar bear (Ursus maritimus).

Most close-up view bears and land predators in general. The length of large males can reach 3 m, weight - 1000 kg! The polar bear has the shortest ears among other species, this protects the animal from heat loss. Although the polar bear looks white, its fur is actually transparent because the hairs are hollow inside. But the skin of a polar bear is jet black.

You can guess that a polar bear has black skin just by looking at its feet.

This coloring is not accidental. Sunlight passes through colorless hairs and is absorbed by dark skin, thus solar energy is accumulated in the form of heat on the surface of the body. Polar bear fur works like a real solar battery! Hollow hairs often become a refuge for microscopic algae, which give the fur a yellowish, pinkish and even green tint. This fur structure is very rational, because the polar bear lives to the north of all other species. Its habitat is circumpolar, that is, it covers North Pole around the circumference.

This polar bear living in a zoo is clearly bothered by the heat.

Polar bears can be found throughout the Arctic: on the mainland coast, remote islands and in the depths of the eternal polar ice. Polar bears, like no other, are prone to vagrancy; they do not have permanent protected areas. Because of harsh conditions In life they are forced to constantly wander in search of prey. Polar bears are very well adapted to such travels; they are very hardy, tolerate prolonged hunger well and are excellent swimmers, which helps them overcome large spaces. free water between continents and islands. There is a known record when a polar bear spent 9(!) days in the water. Due to global warming, the ice surface in the Arctic is constantly decreasing, and animals are making such forced swims more and more often.

In a foggy haze, polar bears cross the sea.

Polar bears are exclusively carnivores. They can only occasionally eat shoots of polar plants and berries in the tundra, but the rest of their diet consists of fish and seals. Bears lie in wait for seals near holes in the ice through which they come to the surface. A bear can spend several hours patiently waiting, and when prey appears, it crawls up to it, covering its dark nose with its paw. Polar bears have an exceptional sense of smell and vision, which allows them to detect prey from many kilometers away. In times of hunger, they do not disdain carrion, eating the carcasses of dead whales.

Two polar bears share a whale carcass. Seagulls are hovering nearby - the bears' eternal companions. They accompany predators in the hope of profiting from the remains of their prey.

Among polar bears, males never hibernate, and females set up dens only in connection with pregnancy. A polar bear's den is a simple snowdrift formed by snow drifts around the animal's body. Due to the lack of places suitable for constructing dens, females often gather on a limited area of ​​convenient islands, creating a kind of “maternity hospital”. Cubs, like all bears, are born tiny and helpless; they leave the den only at 3 months of age.

A female polar bear with a cub rests right in the snow.

Unlike brown bears, polar bears are curious and fearlessly approach human habitation. Even though they formidable predators, but rarely show aggression towards humans. But people often fall into unreasonable panic and shoot animals simply out of fear.

This bear with obvious pleasure wants to join the profession of photographer.

Black bear, or baribal (Ursus americanus).

The black bear's range covers almost the entire North American continent, where it often coexists with the brown bear. This species is not particularly rare, and thanks to its protection in nature reserves, in some areas it even reaches the outskirts of cities. 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.

In a black bear litter you can often find cubs of different colors.

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.

While the mother is busy searching for food, the cub learns to climb trees.

The black bear eats the same food as the brown bear, but its diet is dominated by plant food, 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.

Himalayan bear (Ursus thibetanus).

These bears are somewhat smaller in size than brown bears, reaching a weight of 140-150 kg.

Himalayan bears are only black in color, and have white or white on their chests. yellow spot shaped like a V.

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. 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. Distinctive feature This species is that bears do not make traditional dens, but prefer to settle in hollows for the winter.

Sloth bear (Melursus ursinus).

The territorial neighbor of the Himalayan bear, the range of the sloth bear also covers Southeast Asia. But the appearance of the animal is very original. The sloth fish is a kind of “hippie” in the bear family. What self-respecting hippie wouldn't try to stand out from his surroundings?

The coloration of the sloth bear is very similar to the Himalayan bear, but its fur is very long and thick. The claws are also of extraordinary length.

And the sponger surprises. First of all, the way of obtaining food. The sloth fish feeds on various plants, invertebrates and other small animals. But he has a special passion for ants and termites. The long claws of the sloth whale are used to destroy durable termite mounds. When the sponger gets to the contents of the termite mound, he first blows air through his lips, folded into a tube, and then begins to suck in insects through the gap between his front teeth. For this reason, he even lacks front incisors. During feeding, the sloth fish resembles a vacuum cleaner and produces no less noise. At other moments of its life, the sponger also shows carelessness: he usually sleeps during the day and, unlike other bears, does not seek to hide in the wilderness: a sleeping sloth can be caught right in the middle of some clearing, but this meeting is unlikely to be a surprise. The fact is that the sloth fish also snores loudly and can be heard from afar. The sloth fish has reasons for such behavior - it simply does not have natural enemies. The only danger may come from the tiger, with which the sloth fish is on an equal footing. By the way, the sloth bear is the main contender, along with the Himalayan bear, for the role of Baloo from Rudyard Kipling’s book. Most likely, this is what the author had in mind when he wrote The Jungle Book.

Malayan bear (Helarctos malayanus).

The smallest species of bear, its weight reaches only 65 kg.

Its fur is very short, which makes the Malayan bear unlike a “real” bear.

It lives in Indochina and on the islands of the Malay Archipelago. This animal refutes the myth that bears can only be found in the northern taiga.

Perhaps the Malayan bear is the only one that can be seen on a palm tree.

It is omnivorous, but due to its small size it hunts only small animals. This bear does not hibernate.

Malayan bears in the zoo.

Spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus).

The only representative of the bear family living in South America. It inhabits mountains and foothill forests. This is a medium-sized animal.

The spectacled bear got its name because of the round spots around its eyes that resemble glasses.

The spectacled bear is the most herbivorous of all. This is a very rare animal that few people have been able to see in natural conditions. The world's leading zoos are involved in a breeding program for spectacled bears.

A spectacled bear cub studies zoo visitors from behind a fence.

Where is the panda? interesting view bears? But whether a panda is a bear is a question that still haunts scientists. Many zoologists are inclined to believe that the panda is not a bear at all, but a giant representative of the raccoon family. For this reason, the story about pandas is on a separate page.