Facts about Bears

Top Bear Facts

Learning bear facts is a good idea if you are fascinated by this particular type of animal. There is certainly plenty to enjoy about them. However, there are many myths too that continue to circulate. Here you will get accurate information that you can rely on.

Hibernation is a common among bears. However, the specifics of it will depend on the species. For example with some bears only the females were hibernate, and only if they are pregnant. Their young will be born while they are hibernating as well. With other species all of them will hibernate. The length of time can be from a few weeks to several months.

The core diameter of the home range for a bear will get larger as it gets older. In the first couple of years of life it will span two miles or less. Full grown adults can have a span from 3 to 15 miles.

It may seem that bears are found all over the world, and that is true in most senses of the words. However, there are some regions where they won’t be found. They include Africa, Australia, and Antarctica. It is believed that millions of years ago there were some species of bears that did live in Africa though.

A bear is going to eat much more in the summer months to store for the winter. That way they will have fat reserves to live on when they are hibernating. For those bears that don’t hibernate, it is hard to find enough food in the winter months.

Bears are able to see very well and they can see in color too. They have a wonderful sense of smell. Even though the ears are small, they can also hear well. These combined senses allow them to be very alert to what is going on around them, to find food, to detect danger, and to explore their surroundings in detail.

While bears are generally seen moving very slow and leisurely, they can run quite fast. Some species can run up to 35 miles per hour for a short period of time.

The typical life span for a bear in the wild is from 18 to 25 years. They also do very well in captivity with the average life span being from 20- 28 years.

Bears are shy creatures and they can be spooked or frightened. They aren’t monsters or over aggressive by nature as they are often portrayed in our society to be.

It is estimated that over 60% of the natural vegetation for bears in the wild has been destroyed so far. Even with efforts in place to prevent it, the rate of it being lost is very fast which is a huge threat to their survival.

When a bear is walking both the sole and the heel of the foot are touching the ground at the same time. They can live in a variety of different geographical locations. They include the very cold regions, in the mountains, and on the plains.

Male bears are called boars and females are called sows. The offspring are called cubs but when they are a year old they are referred to as yearlings. While most of the time twins are born, there can be up to four cubs in a given litter. Unfortunately the mother often can’t care for all of them and she will only leave her den with the strongest two.

Many species of bears are endangered at this point in time. Their numbers such as that of the Grizzly Bear have dipped very low. Right now there are only about 1,000 Grizzly Bears left in the world.