The Life of Bears

Mammals belonging to the Ursidae family, bears range in size from 60 pounds and four feet in length, to more than a 1,000 pounds and eight feet long, inhabiting forests in North and South America, Europe and Asia. Sporting non-retractable claws, short tails and an astounding sense of smell—some 2,100 times better than humans.

Eight Species

Bears are further divided into eight species, including brown bears, giant pandas, North American black bears, polar bears, sloth bears, spectacled bears, moon bears and sun bears, while a full six species of bears are listed under the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of threatened or vulnerable animals. During the winter months, most species of bears hibernate for a much as 100 days without eating, drinking, urinating or defecating, relying on stored-up fat and a marked reduction in body temperature, metabolism, respiration and heart rate.

Not all Bears Hibernate

Considered loners except during mating and birthing cycles, female bears awaken early from hibernation to give birth to as many as four cubs, while the non-hibernating giant panda generally gives birth to a solitary cub. Classified as omnivores, each species has their preferred diet—although all bears love the taste of honey—ranging from berries, insect larvae and bamboo, while brown bears like the Grizzly gorge on spawning salmon, fishing them out of rivers and streams or simply catching them straight from the air as they jump.

A Number of Threats

Among the biggest threats to all bears is habitat destruction by logging operations, agriculture and human encroachment, reducing their hunting and foraging grounds, while frequently culminating in human-wildlife encounters that cost them their lives due human safety concerns or retaliation for hunting livestock or foraging crops. In Asia, bears are further threatened by poachers who harvest gall bladders, paws, skin and other parts, which are deemed important ingredients in traditional Chinese medicines, while climate change in more recent years has threatened the polar bears’ reliance on sea ice to hunt for seals, making the life of bears, a diverse yet increasingly threatened family.