We all know these powerful animals since childhood. But few people know what types of bears exist. Pictures in children's books most often introduced us to brown and polar bears. It turns out that on Earth there are several species of these animals. Get to know them better.
Bear Appearance
If we compare the bears with other predators, they differ in the most uniform appearance, features of the internal structure, size. Currently, these are the largest representatives of terrestrial predatory animals. For example, polar bears can reach a body length of up to three meters with a weight of 750 and even 1000 kg!
Animal fur has a well-developed undercoat; it is rather rough to the touch. The hairline is high. Only a Malay bear cannot boast of such a fur coat - it has a low and sparse cover.
The color is varied - from black to white, can be contrasting. Color does not change by season.
Lifestyle
Different types of bears live in a variety of conditions. They feel great in the steppes and highlands, in forests and in the Arctic ice. In this regard, the species of bears differ in the way of eating and lifestyle. Most representatives of these predators prefer to settle in mountainous or lowland forests, much less often in treeless highlands.
Bears are active mainly at night. The only exception is the polar bear - a species of animal that leads a daily life.
Bears are omnivores. However, some species prefer this or that food. For example, a polar bear almost always eats the meat of mammals, for a panda there is no better treat than shoots of bamboo. True, they supplement it with a small amount of animal food.
Variety of species
Quite often, animal lovers ask the question: “How many species of bears live on Earth?” Those who are interested in these animals seem to have a myriad of them. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Today, our planet is inhabited by species of bears, a list of which can be represented as follows:
- brown bears;
- black
- white
- Himalayan
- spectacle glasses;
- gubachi;
- biruangs;
- pandas.
There are subspecies and varieties of these animals, but we will talk about this in another article.
Brown bears
These are large and seemingly clumsy animals. They belong to the order of predators, the bear family. Body length - from 200 to 280 cm.
This is a fairly common form. Brown bear lives throughout the Eurasian and North American forests. Today, this predator has completely disappeared from the territory of Japan, although in ancient times it was common here. In Western and Central Europe, brown bears can be found quite rarely, in some mountainous regions. There is reason to say that in these territories it is an endangered species. Brown bear is still widespread in Siberia, the Far East and the northern regions of our country.
Brown bears are sedentary animals. The forest area occupied by one individual can reach several hundred square kilometers. This is not to say that bears strictly guard the borders of their territories. On each site there are permanent places where the animal feeds, builds temporary shelters and lairs.
Despite being settled, this predator can wander in hungry years in search of more plentiful food at a distance of more than 300 kilometers.
Hibernation
Everyone knows that in winter, the brown bear hibernates. Previously, he carefully prepares his den, which he equips in hard-to-reach places - on islands in the middle of swamps, in a windbreak. The bear lays the bottom of its winter home with dry grass or moss.
To survive the winter safely, the bear must accumulate at least fifty kilograms of fat. To do this, he eats about 700 kilograms of berries and about 500 kilograms of pine nuts, not counting other feeds. When a lean year is given for berries, bears in the northern regions raid the fields sown with oats, and in the southern regions they go on corn crops. Some bears attack apiaries and ruin them.
Many believe that during hibernation, animals fall into suspended animation. This is not entirely true. They sleep quite sensitively. During hibernation, when the animal lies motionless, its cardiac and pulmonary systems slow down its activity. The body temperature of the bear ranges from 29 to 34 degrees. Every 5-10 breaths, there is a long pause, sometimes lasting up to four minutes. In this condition, the supply of fat is spent sparingly. If during this period the bear is raised from the den, it begins to quickly lose weight and is in dire need of food. Such a bear turns into a "tramp", or, as it is popularly called, a connecting rod. In this state, it is very dangerous.
Depending on climatic conditions, the predator can be in hibernation from three to six months. If there is food in the southern regions, the bears may not hibernate at all, but fall asleep only for a short time. Females with one-year-old cubs sleep in the same den.
Food
Different types of bears prefer to eat different feeds. Animals of this species most often eat fruits, berries and other plant foods, but sometimes they can eat ants, insect larvae, rodents, along with winter supplies. Quite rarely, males hunt forest ungulates. Despite the apparent clumsiness, a brown bear can be very fast and agile. He quietly sneaks up to his prey and grabs it in a quick throw. At the same time, its speed reaches 50 km / h.
White bears
IUCN - The International Union for Conservation of Nature for the first time in several years has expanded the list of animals that are on the verge of extinction. New species appeared in it. Polar bears are listed not only on this international list, but also in the Red Book of Russia. To date, their number is only 25 thousand individuals. According to scientists, this population will decrease by almost 70% in the next 50 years.
Rare species of bears (see the photo in our article), which recently include white individuals, suffer from industrial development of the Arctic, pollution of their habitats, global warming and, of course, poaching.
Appearance
Many people believe that white, polar, northern, marine or oshkuy are species of polar bears. In fact, this is the name of one species of predatory mammal from the bear family, the closest relative of the brown bear.
Its length is three meters, its weight is about a ton. The largest animals are found off the coast of the Bering Sea, the smallest - on Svalbard.
Polar bears are distinguished from other species by long hair and a flat head. Color can be completely white or with a yellowish tint. In the summer, the fur turns yellow when exposed to sunlight. The skin of these animals is black.
The soles of the paws are protected by wool so as not to slip on the ice and not freeze.
Lifestyle & Nutrition
According to scientists, the polar bear is the most predatory of the whole family. After all, he practically does not consume plant foods. Different types of bears (photos and names of which are posted in our article) are almost never the first to attack a person. Unlike its counterparts, the polar bear often preys on humans.
Basically, the "menu" of these predators are seals, mainly ringed seals. In addition, he eats any animals that he manages to kill. It can be rodents, birds, walruses, whales, washed ashore. For the predator itself, danger is represented by killer whales, which can sometimes attack in the water.
Breeding
In October, females begin to dig a den in the snow. In the middle of November they settle there. Pregnancy lasts 230-240 days. Cubs are born at the end of the Arctic winter. For the first time, a female brings posterity when she is 4-6 years old. Cubs appear once every two to three years. In the litter there are from one to three cubs. Newborns are completely helpless, weigh about 750 grams. The babies begin to see in a month, after two months their teeth are cut out, the babies begin to gradually leave the den. They do not part with a bear until a year and a half. Polar bears are infertile, so their numbers are recovering too slowly.
Black bear
It is also called baribal. The length of his body is 1.8 m, weight - about 150 kg. The bear has a sharp muzzle, high legs with long and sharp claws, short and smooth black hair. Sometimes the color is black-brown, except for a light yellow muzzle.
The black bear eats exclusively plant foods - larvae, insects, as well as small vertebrates.
The female’s pregnancy lasts up to 210 days, the cubs are born in January-February, weighing 400 grams, remain with their mother until April.
Himalayan bear
This beast is inferior in size to the brown one. In addition, these species of bears differ in appearance. The Himalayan bear has a more slender physique, a thin muzzle, large ears. Thick and fluffy wool usually has a black color with a white, sometimes yellowish spot on the chest (in shape resembles the letter V).
Large adults can reach a length of 170 cm with a weight of 140-150 kg. Habitat - East Asia. In the west it can be found in Afghanistan, in Indochina, on the southern slopes of the Himalayas. On the territory of our country is found only in the Ussuri region, north of the Amur.
In the spring, the Himalayan bear eats last year's acorns and pine nuts. In summer, enjoys relishing juicy grass, berries, insects. There is evidence that in South Asia, he often attacks domestic animals, can be dangerous to humans.
There are usually two cubs in the litter. Their weight does not exceed 400 grams. They develop very slowly, even at the age of a month and a half, are completely helpless.
Spectacled Bear
We continue to study the types of bears, getting acquainted with the native of South America. It settles in the mountains - from Colombia to northern Chile. This spectacled bear is not a very large animal. His body, with a length of not more than 1.7 m, weighs about 140 kg.
The bear is covered with thick, shaggy coat of black or black-brown color, with white spots around the eyes (hence its name). Preferring mountains, the animal also often appears on meadow slopes. His biology is still poorly understood, but at the same time, scientists consider him the most herbivorous in the whole family. He is a lover of leaves and roots, fruits and branches of young shrubs. Sometimes, for his favorite delicacy, he climbs up on tall palm trees, breaks young branches, and then eats them on the ground.
Gubach Bear
For our compatriots, the last animals on our list are exotic species of bears. You can see photos and their names in numerous domestic and foreign publications about animals.
Gubach Bear is an inhabitant of tropical countries. He lives in the forests of Hindustan and Ceylon. In length it can be up to 1.8 m, weight about 140 kg. This is a rather slender animal, on high legs, with huge claws. The muzzle is somewhat pointed. There is a light V-shaped mark on the chest. The bear is active at night. He sleeps soundly during the day, and at the same time (which is typical only for this species), he snores surprisingly loudly.
Gubach eats mainly fruits and insects. With the help of huge claws, he easily breaks rotten, dilapidated tree trunks, and then he launches an amazing device that can resemble a pump. The long muzzle of the animal has very mobile lips, which extend, forming a kind of tube.
The gubach has no upper pair of incisors, as a result of which there is a gap in the oral cavity. This feature allows the animal to get termites. First, he blows out all the dust and dirt from the "house" of insects, and then draws the prey through his lips extended into a tube.
Sponge mating occurs in June, after seven months, 2-3 babies appear. They spend 3 months in refuge with their mother. At first, the father of the family takes care of his cubs, which is not characteristic of other bear species.
Panda
This animal, 1.2 m long and weighing up to 160 kg, lives in the mountain forests of the western provinces of China. Prefers loneliness, with the exception of mating time. It is usually spring.
Offspring appears in January. Basically 2 babies are born, weighing about two kilograms each. Unlike other bears, the big panda does not hibernate. It feeds on various plants, bamboo roots, sometimes small rodents and fish.
