19 facts you probably didn't know about bears

The call of the wild

From the brown bears of North America to the giant pandas of South East Asia, the bear is a truly magnificent creature. With the help of Bears by Tom Jackson, a book that addresses some of the most interesting facts about these mammals and showcases their beauty, we bring you a bundle of cuteness.

Click or scroll on to see these gorgeous creatures in all their glory...

The sun bear is the smallest

Also known as the dog bear or 'Helarctos malayanus' in Latin, the sun bear is most commonly found in parts of southern Asia. Measuring roughly 3ft 3in (1m) long on average, it is the smallest species of the bear family and is characterised by its short, glossy coat.

Bears don’t have the best eyesight

Although their large heads may make their facial features seem small, a bear’s eyes really aren't very big and they don’t have the sharpest eyesight. The long-sighted bear relies more on their sense of smell and their ability to hear sounds rather than their eyes to survive.

Andean bears have unique eye markings

The spectacled bear, also known as the Andean bear, is most commonly found in the Andean jungles of South America. The bear gets its name from the distinct rings or arcs around its eyes which are unique to each animal. Similar to humans and their fingerprints, the eye markings of the species are used to identify individual bears from one another.

The legend of the giant panda bear

The giant panda is probably the most well-known bear species and one of the world’s most recognised animals. Legend has it that the panda bear was once white all over, but after mourning the death of a young shepherd girl killed by a leopard, the bears adopted the human tradition of covering their arms with dark ashes. The pandas would then wipe away their tears and cover their ears to block out cries of despair, which caused the famous black markings around the bear’s eyes too.

Panda numbers are on the rise

For decades, the giant panda bear, which is native to China, has been classified as an endangered species as their population has been dangerously low. A captive breeding programme in zoos and wildlife parks across the globe has managed to help boost the panda population, improving the potential survival of the species.

While in captivity, the keepers give the pandas food but make sure to keep their distance, because once the bears are returned to the wild they need to keep their natural fear of humans to survive.

Sloth bears are more social than you think

Nicknamed 'the ant-eater', the sloth bear can mostly be found in the Indian subcontinent living on a diet of ants, termites and fruits. Compared to other species, the sloth bear has a very long and shaggy coat, helping it look bigger when encountering predators or rivals. Its shaggy coat also helps protect its skin against pests and strong sunlight when it's in an open habitat.

Unlike other bears, sloth bears tend to group together around a large food source, putting up with each other’s company while there's plenty of food available.

Bears have a thick layer to keep them warm

Bears are built to put weight on as a thick layer of fat underneath their skin. When the colder weather approaches, the animal’s handy fat supply under the surface will keep them alive while they sleep through more extreme climates.

Alaskan grizzly bears are speedy hunters

Also known as the North American brown bear, this Alaskan grizzly bear has managed to drive a sockeye salmon into the shallow waters of a mountain river, making it a lot easier to catch and kill. With its massive forepaws, a brown bear can kill or stun the fish with just a single blow.

With this powerful technique they can catch a fish every seven minutes, which is roughly eight fish every hour. They are most successful when they hunt at night, using touch and sounds to guide them to their target.

Polar bears can smash through ice

On the sea ice, seals spend most of their time in the icy waters, but often need to come up to the surface to breathe from holes in the ice pack. A polar bear will look for these holes, then sit and wait perfectly still for the seal to appear. It can smell the seal as it gets closer and closer underneath the ice, and will suddenly lunge forward and snatch up the seal as it pokes out its head.

The powerful animal can also smash through the rigid ice cap and grab the seals that swim in the waters below.

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Polar bears are strong swimmers

Polar bears use their big round and wide forepaws as paddles to get themselves through the icy waters while they use their back feet like rudders.

The life of a polar bear can be exhausting

Life on the ice can get pretty tiring for polar bears, and this picture captures a family of bears taking a well-earned rest during summer. At night, the polar bears will go hunting again and their dense furry coats will help keep the cold air at bay.

Why brown bears charge

If you see a brown bear behaving like this in the wild, you’re probably a little too close for comfort. Brown bears will charge at anything they see as a threat, bearing their sharp teeth, bristling their fur and making lots of noise to scare the danger away.

Their charges are mostly mock attacks, with the bear stopping just before making contact with the threat, but most animals will flee before that happens.

Black bears are born small and helpless

In this image, a black bear cub walks with its mother. Bear cubs are known to be altricial animals, meaning they are helpless when first born. It can take time for cubs to develop their motor skills, with the help of their parents.

When bears feed their cubs

Bears have four teats or nipples so they can feed up to four cubs at once. After about 18 months, these brown bear cubs will be weaned off their mother’s milk but by then, the mother bear is unlikely to be able to still provide milk for all four.

Even ferocious bears enjoy play fighting

This image is far less dramatic than it looks. The photographer has captured a play-fight between two bears, although it’s not far off the real thing. The animals play-fight as a form of training for adulthood.

Bear cubs love having fun together too

Pictured here are brown bear cubs having a whale of a time climbing a tree while their mother watches on. The mother is too large and heavy to climb up the trunk herself.

Bears avoid violence unless it’s mating season

In the wild, when bears do meet, they compare heights, check markings and sniff each other's scents to check who is who and will then bare their teeth and growl as a way to show their strength. These ritualised encounters minimise the chance of any serious violence although more well-matched bears will fight over a female during the breeding season.

Bears like to travel

As nomadic creatures, bears tend to move daily along the well-trodden trails through their home ranges. Once the bear cubs are strong enough to walk on their own, they will follow their mother and begin their own journeys through the range.

Not a care in the world

Here, this adorable brown bear cub has everything it could ever need to grow into one of the world’s biggest predators on land.

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All images were taken with permission from the book Bears by Tom Jackson, published by Amber Books Ltd, and available via Amazon.

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