The Excellence of a Bear

Polar bear

Ursus Maritimus

• Found in the Arctic, North America, Greenland, Russia and Norway.
• They are the largest living carnivores.
• They are excellent swimmers.

Brown bear

Ursus Arctos

• They are found in North America, parts of Europe, Asia, and Russia.
• The largest bears exist in Alaska and Russia.
• Grizzly bears (North American) and European tend are much smaller.

Andean bear

Tremarctos ornatus

• Only found in the Andes mountains. Also called spectacled bears due to their distinctive marks around their eyes.
• They are an endangered species.
• Only surviving species of bear native to South America.

Sun bear

Ursus malayanus

• Smallest species of bear.
• They have very long tongues (hover on photo to see!) for extracting termites from nests.
• They live in south east Asia.

North American black bear

Ursus Americanus

• Despite the name, they are black, bluish-black, brown, and white (known as a Kermode or Spirit bear).
• They are omnivorous.
• They are the most common bear in North America.

Asiatic black bear

Ursus thibetanus

• They have long black fur with a distinct white patch on the chest that is often crescent-shaped, hence they are sometimes called moon bears.
• They live in eastern Asia.
• They are more carnivorous than their American counterparts.

Panda bear

Ailuropoda melanoleuca

• Previously believed to be a member of the raccoon family.
• They have to consume up to 20kg of bamboo each day as it is so nutritionally lacking!
• Habitat loss has meant they are notw only found in only 6 mountain ranges in western China.

Sloth bear

Melursus (ursus) ursinus

• They are stocky with shaggy fur, with adaptations that help them hunt for termites.
• The only mother bear to regularly be seen carrying their offspring (hover on photo to see!).
• They live in Sri Lanka and India.