Bear Facts & Trivia
Bear Facts
- There are eight species of bears.
- Species of bears are: Ailuropoda melanoleuca (giant panda), Helarctos malayanus (sun bear), Melursus ursinus (sloth bear), Tremarctos ornatus (spectacled bear), Ursus americanus (American black bear), Ursus arctos (brown bear), Ursus maritimus (polar bear) and Ursus thibetanus (Asiatic black bear).
- Six of the eight species are considered to be at risk of extinction.
- Only the brown and the American Black are not endangered among the bear species.
- The largest species of bear is the brown bear.
- A koala bear is not a bear, it is a marsupial.
- Bears can run up to 40 miles per hour.
- Bears are able to go seven months without eating during hibernation.
- Bears are omnivorous.
- Bears are know for being smart. They have a built in GPS; memories like elephants; the brain to body ratio is a larger brain than normal.
- Bears have a deep sense of devotion to family. They will fight to the death in order to save a cub or sibling from danger. Even in the story of The Three Bears they were on a family outting when Goldilocks illegally entered their domicile.
- Bears have a deep sense of love and affection. Cubs are known to groan loudly when they lose their mothers. This has been known to go on for weeks.
- Three of the senses of the bear (smell, sight and hearing) are excellent. They can smell food, family and foes miles away.
- Polar bears can swim for up to 60 miles without a break.
- Some species of Asiatic bear build nests in the trees. They are able to hide and even sleep in these “tree huts.”
- Lewis described his first sighting of a grizzly bear in his journals in the early 1800s.
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Mammalia
- Order: Carnivora
- Family: Ursidae
- Genus: Ursus
Bear TV
- Gentle Ben, (1967-1969) The adventures in the Florida Everglades of a game warden (Dennis Weaver), Tom Wedloe (Rance Howard), his wife Ellen (Beth Brickell), their son Mark (Lance Howard), and Mark’s tame bear Ben.
Bear Movies
- Yogi Bear, (2010)
- Bear, (2010)
- Kung Fu Panda, (2008)
- Open Season, (2006)
- Spirit Bear: The Simon Jackson Story, (2005)
- Brother Bear, (2003)
- Bear’s Kiss, (2002)
- Gentle Men, (2002)
- The Country Bears, (2002)
- The Little Bear Movie, (2001)
- Bear With Me, (2000)
- Grizzly Falls, (2000)
- The Edge, (1997)
- Alaska, (1996)
- The Bear, (1988)
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, (1977)
- Grizzly, (1976)
- The Jungle Book, (1967)
Bear Songs
- Bear Necessities, by The Jungle Book
- Black Bear, by Railroad Earth
- Dancing Bear, by Mama and the Papas
- Face of Bear, by HORSE the Band
- Fred Bear, by Ted Nugent
- Panda Bear, by Owl City
- Running Bear, by Johnny Preston
- Teddy Bear, by Elvis Presley
- The Bear Went Over the Mountain, by Green Jelly
Famous Bears
- Most Americans know the most famous bear of all, Smokey. A family drive into any wooded area and it’s hard to miss his animated smile, hat and warning to be careful about fire. But many don’t know that Smokey was real. He was found as a frightened and singed cub up a tree after a forest fire in New Mexico. Adopted and cared for, he spent his years as one of the most visited animals in the National Zoo in Washington D.C., dying only a few years ago at an advanced age.
- Baloo, from the movie “The Jungle Book”
- Beary Barrinson, from the movie “The Country Bears”
- The Berenstain Bears, Children Books
- Boo-Boo, from the TV show “Yogi Bear”
- Corduroy, from the book “Corduroy”
- Fozzie Bear, from the movie “The Muppets”
- The Hillbilly Bears, from Hanna-Barbera Cartoon
- Little Bear, from the book “Little Bear”
- Noozles, Japanese cartoon koalas
- Paddington Bear, from the book “Paddington Bear”
- Po the Panda, from the movie “Kung Fu Panda”
- Smokey Bear, the mascot of the U.S. Forest Service
- Teddy Ruxpin, TV Commercials
- The Coca-Cola polar bears, TV Commercials
- Winnie the Pooh, from the book “Winnie the Pooh”
- Yogi Bear and Boo-Boo, from the TV show “Yogi Bear”