Types of Bears
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- Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)
- Malayan Sun Bear (Helarctos malayanus)
- Sloth Bear (Melursus ursinus)
- Spectacled Bear (Tremarctos ornatus)
- American Black Bear (Ursus americanus)
- Brown Bear (Ursus arctos)
- Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus)
- Himalayan Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus)
Apart from the polar bear, which is a marine mammal, bears are primarily forest mammals, and often the dominant species in their ecosystem.
Polar bears and Giant Pandas have specialized diets. The others are omnivores, eating a variety of fruit, nuts, insects and game.
The brown bear, which inhabits forest areas across the entire Northern Hemisphere, gets credit for having the largest range.
Polar bears are the world's largest bears and Malayan Sun Bears are the world's smallest bears.
The American Black Bear and the Brown Bear populations receive credit for being the bear species with the most stable populations.
With the exception of the Giant Panda, which is listed as endangered, the IUCN lists the remaining species as vulnerable. A changing climate in the polar bear's arctic range could place substantial pressure on its population, leading the United States to list it as a threatened species under the terms of the Endangered Species Act.
Please click on any link in the box to learn more about the habits of any particular species or bear topic.
© 2006-2010 Patricia A. Michaels