Bear

From the Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can change

For other uses of the word "bear" please see Bear (disambiguation)

Bears are a group of large mammals. They form the family Ursidae, in the order Carnivora. There are 8 living bear species. They are classified under "Caniformia", meaning that they are like dogs.

[change] Taxonomy

• Family Ursidae
  • Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)
  • Spectacled Bear (Tremarctos ornatus)
  • Brown Bear (Ursus arctos)
  • American Black Bear (Ursus americanus)
  • Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus)
  • Asiatic Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus or Selenarctos thibetanus)
  • Sloth Bear (Melursus ursinus)
  • Sun Bear (Ursus malayanus)

[change] Appearance

Bears usually have a big body with short and thick legs. They only have a very short tail. They have small eyes and round ears. They usually have longer, shaggy fur. On each foot they have five claws, which they cannot pull back. They have very good senses of smell and hearing. They can stand up on their back legs. Usually bears can climb and swim very well.

[change] Life

They are mostly active at night (except for the Polar Bear). Some bears hibernate, that means they sleep during the winter to save energy.

Bears are usually omnivorous. They eat plants and meat. They eat berries, grass and fish. An exception is the Polar Bear, which eats mostly meat.