Bears are widespread around the world, where they can be found in continents such as Asia, Europe, North America and South America. There are a total of 9 different species, 4 of which are found in Asia. These are the collared bear, the lip bear, the Malay bear and the brown bear. Bears are some of the earth’s largest terrestrial predators.
Facts about the bear
| Location: | Europe, Asia, South America and North America |
| Life expectancy: | 15 to 25 years |
| Weight: | 150 to 250 kilos |
| Size: | 1 meter high, 2 to 2.8 meters long |
| Food: | Omnivorous, both meat and plants |
| Quantity: | Unknown |
| Fun fact: | The bear’s sense of smell is 100 times better than that of humans. Among other things, they can smell a prey 32 miles away. |
Characteristics
The species of bears are all different, however, there are some similarities in all of them. Bears generally have a very heavy and powerful physique. They are therefore also very muscular with strong, strong limbs. In addition, their head is very wide and round with a pointed snout and small eyes. The bear has a short tail and its ears are very large, but this is obscured by its very thick fur. Bears are sole walkers, which means that on each foot it has five toes with claws, these claws cannot be retracted. Especially for the bear is its incredible sense of smell, which can get the prey of a prey within 32 kilometers. The color varies according to the breed of the bear. The colors can be white, brown and black, all in different shades.
Food
According to abbreviationfinder.org, the bear eats almost everything it finds edible. The bear mainly eats plants. These are plants such as berries, fruits, roots, grasses, leaf buds and the like. However, it is also said that bears can easily eat animal foods. These are predominantly small animals such as larvae, worms, frogs, fish and the like. However, not saying that bears can not go out hunting for larger prey. Here, the bear can, among other things, use its good sense of smell to smell if there are large animals in the immediate area that it can eat. Often it is the older bears that hunt and are more carnivorous than other bears. Larger prey could be, for example, birds, small and medium-sized mammals. In addition, it has also been seen that the bear may find itself eating inedible things. It has been seen eating rubber boots, car seats and machine oil.
Pregnancy
The bear mates only every three years. Mating typically takes place in the months of May and June, and it only happens after the bear has reached sexual maturity, which happens when it is around two to four years old. The bear is pregnant for seven to eight months, after which the female bear gives birth to two to four cubs. The little ones are like newborns blind and almost completely naked from fur. When the pups are four to five weeks old, they get their sight and suckle from the mother for three to four months. The little cubs are born in the bears’ winter cave, where the bear also has its winter den, among other things. The cubs can fend for themselves after one and a half to two years and only leave the winter cave after four months.
Herds
Bears are not a herd animal, they prefer to live their lives alone and therefore also hunt alone. The time when the bear hunts and is most active is in the evening, which is why it rests during the day. The bear goes into winter hibernation in the months from October-November to April-May. That is, the bear hides in its cave for about 5 to 6 months. During this time, the bear does not eat anything. The bear’s body can automatically go into winter hibernation, so it does not feel it needs food or liquid for the many months. The cave is typically dug about 2 cubic meters in size, and in the cave the bear often makes a mattress out of dried leaves.
Family
Bears are in the family of mammals and in the order predators. In the past, bears could be found all over the world, on all continents, with the exception of Australia. But in Africa, for example, bears are now extinct. The bear family can be divided into two coarse subfamilies, namely the panda family and the other bear family. Under the panda family there are two subspecies, namely the panda and the red panda. Under the bear family there are eight living subspecies, where the cave bear, which is now extinct, is also usually counted. The bear family consists of the Malay bear, the lip bear, the spectacled bear, the American black bear, the grizzly bear, the brown bear and the polar bear. That is, the bear family has nine subspecies, of which four species are found in Asia, two species in South America, two species in North America and one species in Europe.
Travelers’ questions about the bear
Does the male bear kill its young?
Both yes and no.
When the cubs are born, it is important for the female bear to protect her cubs from other foreign animals, but certainly also for the male bear. The male bear can be seen as dangerous to young bear cubs, as the male perceives them as either food or competitors. If the male bear catches sight of an unprotected bear cub, there is a risk that the cub will be killed and, in the worst case, also eaten by the male bear. Kittens are good at hiding, so it rarely happens that the male bear gets to see the little kittens.
Do bears go into hibernation / hibernation?
Yes they do – During the winter the bear goes into hibernation, which they do for about 5 to 6 months. Here, the bear’s normal heart rate drops from 40 beats per second. minute to 8 beats per. minute, which puts them in such a state that they sleep and the body automatically reduces its resource consumption. Some researchers are in doubt as to whether the bear really goes into winter hibernation and stays awake, or whether they actually go into hibernation and sleep for all these months.
It is such that the bear’s winter hibernation turns out to be a form of sleep in which all its life functions are reduced. Among other things, lung function, body temperature and heart rate decrease. However, it happens that the bear’s body temperature only drops from 37 degrees to 31 degrees, which means that the bear automatically wakes up if it senses danger on the move. Thus, bears differ from other animals that sleep the winter away. In addition, bears are special in that they do not excrete waste products during hibernation. For example, the bear does not have to get up to get rid of urine. The bear’s urine is used in the body to form protein, which means that the bear does not lose muscle mass.
Where does the term “Teddy bear” come from?
The term “Teddy bear” is an American term, derived from US President Thedore (Teddy) Roosevelt. The reason the term originates from him is because during a hunt he refused to hunt and shoot a small bear cub. This incident made the term “Teddy bear” known worldwide. Among other things, the term is used today in comics and was later used in several toy manufacturers.
