Animal Facts

Polar bears are the world’s biggest land carnivores. The largest on record was found in Alaska and weighed 2,200 pounds - that’s over a ton!
The soles of a polar bear’s feet have small papillae and vacuoles that act like suction cups to make them less likely to slip on the ice.
Female polar bears are about half the size of males and normally weigh 440 to 660 pounds, but can exceed 1,100 pounds when pregnant due to stored fat.
In late spring, wind and currents create cracks in the Arctic sea ice that concentrate the seals that polar bears hunt.
Climate change represents the largest threat to polar bears because they need Arctic sea ice in order to hunt.
In areas where the ice melts completely during the late summer and fall, polar bears spend those months resting on land and waiting for the freeze-up.
The farthest south that polar bears live all year round is James Bay in Canada, which is about the same latitude as London, England.
Polar bears have low reproductive rates. Most female polar bears only reproduce once every three years with small litters of typically two cubs.
Polar bears are the most carnivorous of all bears and eat almost exclusively seals during the winter.
Throughout most of the year male polar bears are solitary individuals, but are known to become quite social during summer months.
Polar bears have large overlapping home ranges but do not defend territories.
Polar bears usually give birth to twin cubs. Although litters of three or more cubs have been documented, they are not as prevalent.
Cubs typically stay with their mothers for about 2.5 years, which is why most female polar bears only reproduce once every three years.
Female polar bears' infrequent reproductive cycle leads to intense competition for mates among males.
The hair shafts in polar bear fur are actually hollow.
Polar bears don't like to run far distances. Running polar bears can easily overheat because of their large size, stored fat, and thick, insulating fur.
During winter, when the polar ice pack extends further south, some polar bears move as far south as Newfoundland - returning north as it recedes in summer.
Only pregnant polar bears den for extended periods. Their heart rate and temperature do not decrease as much as other hibernating bears, which helps cubs stay warm.
Polar bear cubs have fluffier fur that provides better insulation in dry air, but does not keep them as warm when wet.
Polar bears are considered marine mammals (like seals, whales, and otters). They are the only bear species that is labeled as a marine mammal.
Under all the white fur, polar bear skin is actually black.
There are nineteen different populations of polar bears worldwide.
Polar bears can't see the color green due to their dichromatic vision (humans have trichromatic vision), and evolutionarily don't need to given their Arctic environment.
Just like most people, most polar bears sleep 7-8 hours at a stretch—and are known to take naps too.
Polar bears are strong swimmers, they use their large front paws to paddle, and hold their hind legs flat like a rudder.
Polar bears can't see the color green due to their dichromatic vision (humans have trichromatic vision), and evolutionarily don't need to given their Arctic environment.
The farthest south that polar bears live all year round is James Bay in Canada, which is about the same latitude as London, England.

There are 8 species of Bears (family Ursidae). These eight species can be found on the continents of North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. The diet, behavior, and habitat of each species varies dramatically. To learn more, click on one of the species below for an interesting bear-agraph.

We are proud to partner with the International Association for Bear Research and Management (IBA), a leading institution for bear conservation and research. For more extensive information on each species and what IBA does, please visit IBA's educational resources HERE.

Brown Bear

The brown bear is a large bear species found across Eurasia and North America. In North America, the populations of brown bears are...

Polar Bear

The brown bear is a large bear species found across Eurasia and North America. In North America, the populations of brown bears are...

Giant Panda

The brown bear is a large bear species found across Eurasia and North America. In North America, the populations of brown bears are...

American Black Bear

The brown bear is a large bear species found across Eurasia and North America. In North America, the populations of brown bears are...

Sloth Bear

The sloth bear is a myrmecophagous bear species native to the Indian subcontinent. It feeds on fruits, ants and termites. It is listed as...

Sun Bear

The sun bear is a species in the family Ursidae occurring in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia. It is the smallest bear, standing...

Andean Bear (Speckled bear)

The spectacled bear, also known as the Andean bear, Andean short-faced bear, or mountain bear and locally as jukumari...

Asian black bear

The Asian black bear, also known as the Asiatic black bear, moon bear and white-chested bear, is a medium-sized bear species native...

Brown Bear

There is huge variance in size between different populations of brown bears. Size is dependent on the food available. In addition to variability between populations, there are also seasonal swings that affect a brown bear’s weight. Some bears can weigh almost twice as much in the fall as they might weigh in the spring. Adult males may weigh 300 to 860 pounds, compared with 205 to 455 pounds for females. Brown bears mainly eat vegetation such as grasses, sedges, bulbs, and roots. They also eat insects such as ants, in addition to fish and small mammals. In some areas, they have become significant predators of large hoofed mammals such as caribou, moose calves, and elk calves. Brown bears occupy the widest range of habitats of any bear species including dense coastal forests, boreal forests, sub-alpine mountain areas, tundra, deciduous forests, deserts, and semi-desert areas. They were once abundant on the central plains of North America and throughout much of Europe, but the population has since declined across large portions of their original habitat.

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Polar Bear

The polar bear is the largest land carnivore alive in the world today, though cubs usually weigh only 1.2-1.5 pounds. Adult males are typically about 8-9 feet in length, weighing 880 to 1,320 pounds (and occasionally exceeding 1,760 pounds), while females are about half the size of males and normally weigh 440 to 660 pounds. Polar bears are the most carnivorous of all bears, living almost entirely on ringed seals and, to a lesser degree, bearded seals. They are also known to prey on young walruses and occasionally even capture narwhals and belugas. The preferred habitat of polar bears is the annual ice adjacent to continental shorelines and archipelagos throughout the circumpolar Arctic. Wind and currents create cracks in the ice that concentrate the seals they hunt. In areas where the ice melts completely in the late summer, bears may spend time on land and eat grass, kelp, or berries, additionally scavenging the carcasses of terrestrial or marine mammals. Males tend to remain along the coast, while family groups and sub adults go further inland.

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Giant Panda

Adult giant pandas in the wild weigh 190 to 275 pounds, while females range between 155 to 220 pounds. At birth, cubs weigh only 85 to 140 grams (3 to 5 ounces). More than 99% of the food consumed by giant pandas consists of the branches, stems, and leaves of the bamboo plant. Adults consume an impressive 26 to 33 pounds of bamboo per day when feeding. Giant pandas live at an altitude of between 4,000 and 11,500 feet in mountain forests with dense bamboo, and are found only in southwestern China along the eastern edge of the Tibetan plateau.

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American Black Bear

Black bears vary considerably in size depending on the quality of the food available. Adult male black bears range from 130 to 660 pounds and females weigh 90 to 175 pounds. Black bears are omnivorous and feed on a wide range of foods, depending on what is available. Insects (particularly ants), nuts, berries, acorns, grasses, roots, and other vegetation form the bulk of their diet in most areas. Black bears can also be efficient predators of deer fawns and moose calves. In some areas of coastal British Columbia and Alaska, they also feed on salmon. Black bears are normally found only in forested areas, but are highly adaptable. They can live in arid and moist environments, from sea level to over 6,560 feet in altitude.

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Sloth Bear

Sloth bears weigh 120-310 pounds, with females weighing 120-210 pounds and males ranging from 175-310 pounds. Sloth bears feed extensively on termites and have special adaptations for doing this: their upper incisors are missing, which allows them to suck termites through that gap. The sucking noises made by feeding in this manner can apparently be heard from over 100 meters (330 feet) away. They also eat eggs, other insects, honeycomb, carrion, and various kinds of vegetation including fruit. Sloth bears are found in forested areas and grasslands, predominantly at lower elevations in India, Sri Lanka, and southern Nepal.

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Sun Bear

Sun bears are the smallest of the bears. Adults are only about 4-5 feet long and weigh 60-145 pounds. Males are typically 10-20% larger than females. Sun bears are omnivores, feeding primarily on termites, ants, beetle larvae, bee larvae, honey, and a wide range of fruit when available. Sun bears can be found near sea level or at elevations exceeding 6,800ft, but appear to be most common in lower-elevation tropical forests. Sometimes sleeping in trees, they are excellent climbers, which helps them harvest fruits. Their range used to encompass much of Southeast Asia, but has since decreased. Sun bears are still widespread in certain parts of Cambodia, but their prevalence in those areas continues to decline.

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Andean Bear (Spectacled bear)

Also known as Spectacled bears, Andean bears weigh 140-340 pounds – with females weighing ~140-180 pounds and males ranging from 220-340 pounds. Spectacled bears eat a wide variety of foods including rodents, birds, berries, orchid bulbs, grasses, and other vegetation. They are primarily herbivorous and will sometimes climb cacti to feed on fruit. They frequently construct tree nests as a platform for sleeping and feeding on fruit. Spectacled bears also have a wide range of habitats including rainforest, cloud forest, dry forest, steppe lands, and coastal scrub desert. They have been reported at altitudes ranging from about 180-4,200 meters (600-13,800 feet) but prefer moist forests between about 1,800 and 2,700 meters (6,000-8,800 feet).

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Asiatic Black Bear

Asiatic black bears range from 110-440 pounds, with females typically weighing 110-275 pounds and males ranging from 220-440 pounds. Their diet consists of a wide variety of foods, including insects, bee nests, small vertebrates, and carrion. In the fall, they frequently make crude, leafy feeding platforms in nut-bearing trees. Asiatic black bears are native to Asia (hence their name) and live predominantly in forested areas, especially hills and mountains.