Bears or bears (lat. Ursidae) - a family that includes mammals from the order of predatory animals. The difference between all bears and other canine animals is represented by a stockier and well-developed physique.
Description of the bear
All mammals from the order Carnivores originate from a group of marten-like primitive predators, which are known as miacids (Miacidae), who lived in the Paleocene and Eocene. All bears belong to the fairly numerous suborder Caniformia. Everything is supposed to be fine famous representatives of this suborder originated from one canine ancestor common to all species of such animals.
Relative to other families from the order of predatory animals, bears are animals with the greatest uniformity in appearance, size, and are also similar in many features in the internal structure. All bears are among the largest representatives of terrestrial modern predatory animals.. The body length of an adult polar bear reaches three meters with a weight in the range of 720-890 kg, and the Malay bear is one of the smallest members of the family, and its length does not exceed one and a half meters with a body weight of 27-65 kg.
Appearance, colors
Male bears are about 10-20% larger than females, and in a polar bear, such figures can even be 150% or more. The fur of the animal has a developed and rather coarse undercoat. The tall, sometimes shaggy type of hair in most species has a pronounced density, and the fur of the Malay bear is low and quite rare.
The color of the fur is monophonic, from jet black to whitish. The exception is, which has a characteristic contrasting black and white color. There may be light markings on the chest or around the eyes. Some species are characterized by individual and so-called geographical variability in fur color. Bears have a marked seasonal dimorphism, expressed by changes in the height and thickness of the fur.
All representatives of the Bear family are distinguished by a stocky and powerful body, often with a fairly high and pronounced withers. Also characteristic are strong and well-developed, five-fingered paws with large non-retractable claws. The claws are controlled by powerful muscles, thanks to which the animals climb trees, dig the ground, and also easily tear their prey. The length of the claws of the grizzly reaches 13-15 cm. The gait of a carnivorous animal of a plantigrade type, characteristically shuffling. The giant panda has an additional sixth “finger” on its front paws, which is an outgrowth of the sesame-shaped radius.
The tail is very short, almost invisible under the fur. The exception is the giant panda, which has a fairly long and well-marked tail. Any bear has relatively small eyes, a large head, located on a thick and, as a rule, short neck. The cranium is large, most often with an elongated facial part and strongly developed ridges.
It is interesting! Bears have a highly developed sense of smell, and in some species it is quite comparable to a dog's sense of smell, but such numerous and large predators much weaker.
The zygomatic arches are most often slightly spaced in different directions, and the jaws are powerful, providing very high bite force indicators. All representatives of the Bear family are characterized by the presence of large fangs and incisors, and the remaining teeth can be partially reduced, but their appearance and structure most often depend on the type of food. The total number of teeth can vary between 32-42 pieces. The presence of individual or age-related variability in the dental system is often observed.
Character and lifestyle
Bears are typical predators leading a solitary lifestyle, so such animals prefer to meet each other solely for the purpose of mating. Males behave, as a rule, aggressively and are able to kill cubs that are long time near the female. Representatives of the Bear family are well adapted to a variety of conditions of existence, therefore they are able to inhabit high-mountain regions, forest zones, arctic ice and steppes, and the main differences are in the way of feeding and lifestyle.
A significant part of the bear species lives in the plains and mountains. forest areas temperate or tropical latitudes. The predator is somewhat less common in high-mountain zones without dense vegetation. Some species are characterized by explicit binding to aquatic environment, including mountain or forest streams, rivers and sea coasts. The Arctic, as well as vast expanses
It is interesting! The Arctic Ocean is the natural habitat of polar bears, and the lifestyle of an ordinary brown bear is associated with subtropical forests, taiga, steppes and tundra, and desert areas.
Most bears are classified as terrestrial carnivores, but polar bears are semi-aquatic members of the family. Malayan bears are typical adherents of a semi-arboreal lifestyle, therefore they are able to perfectly climb trees and equip themselves with a shelter or a so-called “nest”. Some species of bears choose pits near the root system of trees and crevices of sufficient size as their habitat.
As a rule, representatives of the Bear family and the Predatory order are nocturnal, so they rarely go hunting during the daytime. However, polar bears may be considered an exception to such general rules. Predatory mammals, leading a solitary lifestyle, unite during the period of "mating games" and mating, as well as to raise their offspring. Among other things, groups of such animals are noted at common watering places and traditional feeding areas.
How long do bears live
The average lifespan of bears in nature can vary depending on the species characteristics of this predatory mammal:
- Spectacled bears - two decades;
- Apennine brown bears - up to twenty years;
- Tien Shan brown bears - up to twenty years or a quarter of a century;
- Polar polar bears - just over a quarter of a century;
- Gubachi - a little less than twenty years.
In captivity, the average life expectancy of a predatory mammal is usually noticeably longer. For example, brown bears can live in captivity for more than 40-45 years.
Types of bears
Range, distribution
Spectacled bears are the only representatives of the Bear family that inhabit South America, where the predator prefers the mountain forests of Venezuela and Ecuador, Colombia and Peru, as well as Bolivia and Panama. - an inhabitant of the basin of the Lena, Kolyma and Anadyr rivers, most of Eastern Siberia and the Stanovoy Range, Northern Mongolia, some regions of China and the border area of East Kazakhstan.
Grizzlies are predominantly distributed in western Canada and Alaska, with a small number of individuals remaining in continental America, including Montana and northwestern Washington. Tien Shan brown bears are found on the Tien Shan ranges, as well as in the Dzungarian Alatau, which has peripheral mountain ranges, and the Mazalays are found in the desert mountains of Tsagan-Bogdo and Atas-Bogdo, where rare shrubs and drain dry channels are located.
Polar bears are distributed circumpolar, and live in the polar regions in the northern hemisphere of our planet. White-breasted Himalayan bears prefer the hill and mountain forests of Iran and Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Himalayas, up to Japan and Korea. Representatives of the species in the summer in the Himalayas rise to a height of three and even four thousand meters, and with the onset of cold weather they descend to the mountain foot.
Gubach live mainly in the tropics and sub tropical forests India and Pakistan, in Sri Lanka and Nepal, as well as in Bangladesh and Bhutan. Biruangs are distributed from northeastern India to Indonesia, including Sumatra and Kalimantan, and the island of Borneo is inhabited by the subspecies Helarstos malayanus euryspilus.
Bears in the ecosystem of the planet
All representatives of the Bear family, due to the peculiarities of the diet and impressive size, have a very noticeable effect on the fauna and flora in their habitats. Species White and brown bears are involved in the regulation of the total number of ungulates and other animals.
All herbivorous bear species contribute to the active distribution of seeds of many plants. Polar bears are often accompanied by arctic foxes finishing their prey.
Bear diet
Spectacled bears are the most herbivorous of the family, and their main diet includes herbaceous shoots, fruits and rhizomes of plants, crops of corn, and sometimes insects in the form of ants or termites. An important role in the diet of the Siberian bear is assigned to fish, and Kodiaks are omnivorous animals that eat both herbaceous plants, berries and roots, and meat food, including fish and all kinds of carrion.
Pika-eating bears or Tibetan brown bears feed mainly on herbaceous plants, as well as pikas, which is how they got their name. The main prey of polar bears is represented by ringed seals, bearded seals, walruses and many other marine animals. The predator does not disdain carrion, willingly eats dead fish, eggs and chicks, can eat grass and all kinds of seaweed, and in inhabited areas looks for food in numerous garbage dumps.
The diet of white-breasted or Himalayan bears is 80-85% represented by plant products, but the predator is able to eat ants and other insects, as well as highly nutritious mollusks and even frogs. Sloth bears, similarly, are adapted to eating predominantly colonial insects, including termites and ants. All biruangs are omnivores, but primarily feed on insects, including bees and termites, as well as fruits and shoots, earthworms and plant roots.
To the question bears are herbivores or predators, asked by the author Elena Yakshigulova the best answer is Bears are omnivores. They eat grass, berries, mushrooms, they will not give up fish, especially meat, they fatten up - they eat everything until they are completely stupefied.
But pandas only eat bamboo, while polar bears prefer seal and seal fat.
Answer from Anastasia[newbie]
Predators))
Answer from merman[guru]
predators of course
Answer from Artyom Kirillov[master]
omnivores!!
Answer from Anyushka Selivanova[active]
predators, but from hunger they can pick up raspberries and chew grass =)
Answer from Anton Shefer[newbie]
The bear is an omnivore, just like humans.
Answer from Nastya Ropcea[master]
omnivores
Answer from Natasha[guru]
Bears (lat. Ursidae) - a family of mammals of the predatory order. They differ from other representatives of the canine in a more stocky physique. Bears are omnivorous, climb and swim well, run fast, can stand and walk short distances on their hind legs. They have a short tail, long and thick wool and excellent sense of smell and hearing. They hunt in the evening or at dawn. Usually fearful of humans, but can be dangerous in areas where they are used to humans, especially polar bears and grizzly bears. Immune to bee stings. In nature natural enemies almost do not have.
Answer from Marina Mirutenko[guru]
Answer from Olesya Yudintseva (Yumasheva)[newbie]
100% carnivorous predators, because they eat meat and hunt. Only carnivores can hunt and eat meat, first of all, and only then fish, mushrooms, nuts, honey, berries, grass, roots. But herbivores cannot eat meat.
Answer from Lyudmila Valentinovna[guru]
the white bear, grizzly bear, spectacled bear, and many other members of the bear family eat wild berries, nuts, honey, rodents, carrion, large mammals, and other plants. FROM THE ORDER THEY ARE PREDATORS. but the koala, belonging to the marsupial bear family, is a herbivorous bear.
Answer from Iodionov Sergey[guru]
the bear is omnivorous. He eats almost everything that can be eaten. in summer period Vegetarian food predominates, most of the animal protein in the bear's diet is small animals. rodents. insects. the bear is engaged in hunting directly, especially hunting for large animals, extremely rarely only in the absence of more accessible and less "dangerous" food
Answer from Ѝyvind Storm of the Fjords[guru]
Bears are omnivores. In principle, they eat plant food all the time, and animal food only when it falls into their paws.
Answer from KOMOV MICHAEL[guru]
Browns are omnivores. Whites are predators
Answer from Alesya Benitsevich[newbie]
omnivorous
Answer from Marat Timirgalin[active]
omnivorous
Answer from Jena Sluchic[newbie]
Differently
Answer from Gulnara Abulkhanova[newbie]
Anatomically predatory. Teeth, that and that. And constantly on plant foods, he can not. But in last years in many regions, the bear is increasingly using plant foods. In this regard, its numbers are growing, in some places it is much larger than the wolf. That is, it sort of climbs off the top of the food pyramid.
The Bears considered the largest of the predators now living on our planet. Despite this, they are more likely than other predatory mammals to prefer plant foods over animal meat.
Bear appearance
Teeth and claws: The fangs of bears are quite powerful, as in other predatory animals. The molars have a flat, uneven, chewing surface. This is due to a mixed diet, bears eat both animal and plant foods. Each paw has five long toes with large and sharp claws that do not retract. With the help of this tool, bears dig out edible roots and fruits from the ground. In addition, with sharp claws, the predator tears the prey into small pieces.
Sense organs: Bears have small, set close to each other eyes. The fields of view of both eyes overlap, so the animal sees objects as three-dimensional. In general, bears have poor eyesight. Hearing is also not very well developed. The bear has a better sense of smell. The bear often stands up on its hind legs and turns its head around to explore its nose and get information about its surroundings.
Communication: Bears communicate with each other through sounds and body movements. For example, the position of an animal's ears conveys information about the owner's mood. Having met, the bears raise their heads to each other and growl without opening their mouths. The flat teeth of a bear will grind any food. A giant brown bear catches fish in the rivers.
Ways to travel: Bears have rather short limbs. They walk, leaning on the entire surface of the foot. The paws of bears are curved in the shape of the letter "O", so these animals are clubfoot and walk, waddling from side to side. But, when danger arises or when pursuing prey, bears are able to trot and even gallop. In case of danger, the bear stands on its hind legs. Cubs and adults of some species climb trees and swim, and polar bear is the only mammal that swims only with the help of its forelimbs.
Body Structure: Various they differ in size, but their structure is similar: a powerful body, short strong paws, a massive head and a very short tail.
Coat: Bear hair comes in several types, ranging from the thick yellowish-white coat of the polar bear to the long, fluffy coat of the Gubach. The fur of most species of bears has a brown color, perfectly camouflages animals in the forest.
Did you know? That the giant brown bear living on the territory North America, in other languages is called "Kodiak". This is the name of the island on which these representatives of the subspecies are found. A bear standing on its hind legs can reach up to 3 m in height.
The polar bear can be found in the open sea at a distance of 80 km from the coast.
Bears walk slowly, waddling, but if necessary, they can reach speeds of up to 50 km / h. The grizzly's menu is 80% plant based.
The ranges of the polar bear and arctic fox are located in the Far North. They are hardy mammals. Almost all bears are on the verge of extinction and are protected by law.
Once upon a time, many brown bears lived in Europe. Now their numbers have declined, but they still remain the most numerous species in the family. The polar bear in the past was an object of fishing. People ate his meat and sewed clothes from his skin.
The polar bear is better than other animals acclimatized in the permafrost area.
Seven species of bears belonging to four genera live mainly in the Northern Hemisphere. Only the spectacled bear lives in the south. All bears, with the exception of the polar bear, which inhabits snowy arctic deserts, are inhabitants of dense forests. Their only enemy is man. Now only two species of bears are not threatened with extinction.
Origin of bears
The first bear, the ancestor of all modern species bears (Ursavus), who lived on Earth 20 million years ago. It was the size of a small dog and inhabited the territory of modern Europe, where at that time a hot subtropical climate dominated, rich in generous vegetation. Bears, along with foxes, dogs and raccoons, descend from their common ancestor - a small predator of the Miacidae family, who lived 30-40 million years ago and climbed trees. As a result of evolution, new types of bears arose, which gradually became larger, larger and stronger. Many, including the cave bear, which was larger than modern bears, died out. The youngest species in the family is the polar bear, which appeared 70,000 years ago.
- Spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus): body length 1.3-1.8 m. The only representative of the family in South America.
- Malayan bear (Helarctos malayanus): body length 1-1.4 m. This small member of the family lives in tropical forests South-East Asia. Occurs rarely.
- Gubach (Melursus ursinus): body length 1.4-1.8 m. Lives in the jungles of India and Sri Lanka. Herbivorous. It picks up termites and insects with its lips and tongue.
- Polar bear (Ursus maritimus): body length 1.8-3 m. Inhabits the northern regions of the Arctic, feeds mainly on seals.
- Brown bear (Ursus arctos): 2-3 m long, lives in North America, Europe and Asia. There are several subspecies: the grizzly bear, the giant brown bear, and the European brown bear.
- Baribal, black bear (Ursus americanus): body length 1.3-1.8 m, found in the forests of North America. Like other members of the family, it eats a mixed diet.
- White-breasted bear (Ursus thibetanus): body length 1.4-2 m. Lives in forests and spends most of its time in trees. It feeds on herbs, fruits and berries.
bear breeding
Bears live alone, meeting only during the breeding season. The mating period, depending on the species, falls on different time of the year. Some types of bears, in particular the Malayan, can breed throughout the year - they live in tropical rainforests, where they have enough food. In addition, the Malayan bear is monogamous. After mating, the male and female separate. Only the she-bear is engaged in the upbringing of the offspring.
The duration of pregnancy is 180-250 days and depends on the type of bears. The bear brood consists of 1-4 cubs, which are born blind, toothless, covered with sparse hair. They spend at least a year in the family nest, feeding on their mother's milk. The polar bear never lacks food and therefore does not fall into winter sleep. However, pregnant females and mothers with cubs fall into hibernation. In spring, the she-bear leaves the den, accompanied by fluffy and playful cubs. The cubs relentlessly follow her, learning to find food and recognize danger. Bears of various species reach sexual maturity at the age of 2.5-5 years.
Lifestyle of bears
Bears are territorial animals. Each individual is the owner of a fairly large area, controls where it hunts and hibernates. Females live with cubs for up to two years. Bears are avid loners, but in places rich in food, for example, in a berry meadow, several individuals can be found at once. When they are satisfied, they disperse. But the bear invaded someone else's territory, waiting for a meeting with the owner, which may end in a collision. The search for food takes a lot of time, so the bears are active both day and night. Bears sleep in disguised shelters - lairs, which are located in depressions under the roots of trees. The white-breasted bear builds a nest in a tree. Bears of the genus Ursus living in cold climatic zones, hibernate in winter. Winter sleep lasts from 78 to 200 days. The exact time depends on the area. During hibernation, bears make a lair for themselves among the windbreak, under the roots of trees, or dig it on the slopes of mountains and hills. They line and insulate their dens with grass, leaves and moss. Bears go into long hibernation in order to survive the hungry winter period.
- Class: Mammalia Linnaeus, 1758 = Mammals
- Infraclass: Eutheria, Placentalia Gill, 1872 = Placental, higher animals
- Squad:
- Family: Carnivora Bowdich, 1821 = Carnivora
- Family: Ursidae Gray, 1825 = Bears, bears
- Genus: Ursus Linnaeus, 1758 = Bears
Bear predator?
Basically, bears are content with plant foods, but in case of its lack and once they have tasted animal meat, it becomes a predator in the full sense of the word, especially terrible for domestic animals. He is quite considered the worst enemy of horses, cows, etc.
Having tasted the meat, the bear loses its good-natured disposition and becomes very bloodthirsty. Many hunters say that the bear also eats carrion. At least in Siberia, it often happens that during the loss of livestock, the peasants bury their dead animals, and the bears dig them up to satisfy their hunger. Having worked up their body and fat during the summer and autumn, with the approach of winter, the bears prepare a lair for themselves in some cave, or in tree hollows, or in the forest thicket.
Before going to the den, the bear confuses its tracks like a hare, winds through the wind-fallen, moss swamps, through the water, jumps sideways from the track through the fallen trees, in a word, walks back and forth more than once. Only then will he lie down, reassured that the trail is well confused.
If the summer was poor, then some, especially thin, bears do not lie in the den at all, they wander hungry all winter. These connecting rods, as they are called, are "suicide bombers", they will die before spring. Connecting rods are dangerous for man, cattle and any animal - even for a bear sleeping in a den. There was a case: a small connecting rod dug up the den of a bear, which, being healthier than him, bit and ate the sleepy Toptygin. Some bears, in places where it is not very cold, lie down to spend the winter right among young spruce trees, only their tops are bent over themselves - it will turn out to be something like a hut, and they sleep in it. But where the winter is cold, they dig a hole for a lair somewhere not far from the water, in a swamp, under the root of a fallen tree. Others cover the pit with brushwood, branches, moss. Such a lair, as they say, has a "sky", that is, a roof. The “brow” of the berl is called a hole in the den - an outlet.
They talk about the bear, as if he sucks his paw in winter. Maybe some suck - because they think that the sole on the soles sheds and itches. But, says A. Cherkasov, he did not hear anything about hunting bears in dens with sucked paws: they are all dry, dirty since autumn, covered in dust and with dried mud.
The further east the bears live, the larger they are. In the Old World, the largest bears are Kamchatka. In Alaska and some islands close to it, even larger specimens are found. This is a brown bear kadlyak - a heavyweight champion among all predators on Earth (up to 751 kg in weight). When this beast stands, leaning on all four legs, then at the withers its height is up to 130 cm (for a European bear, on average, 1 m).
The she-bear retires to the den already at the beginning of November, while the bears roam in December, despite the snow and frost. And some old animals lead a wandering life all winter. Even the bears that have retired to the den do not always fall into deep hibernation, only heavily overfed, fat ones sleep motionless, while the rest lie very sensitively and stick their heads out of the den, or “hello” - as the hunters say - at every approach of a person; and she-bears sometimes directly rush at the disturber of their peace. Having smelled the smell of spring, they get out of the lair into the light.
Hungry for the winter, he goes to get food. But first he takes a laxative - in the form of cranberries and moss, of which he eats a huge amount. Having cleared his stomach, he hurries to strengthen his body, weakened hibernation. In this rather hungry time, he can pounce on livestock.
Jackals. Unlike them, clubfoot are more stocky and powerful. Like other canids, bears are predators, but sometimes they feast on berries, mushrooms and honey.
There are also pseudo-toed, not related to canines and even predatory animals. The name bear is given only because of the outward resemblance to the true representatives of the genus.
real bears
The second name of bears is plantigrade. Having wide legs, clubfoot fully step on them. Other canids, as a rule, touch the ground with only part of their paws, as if walking on their toes. This is how animals speed up. Bears, on the other hand, cannot develop a speed of more than 50 kilometers per hour.
Brown bear
Included in Russian bear species, the largest and most popular in the country. However, the largest clubfoot was caught outside the Federation, on the American island of Kodiak. From there they took the animal for the Berlin Zoo. I got a bear weighing 1134 kilograms at a rate of 150-500 kilos.
It is assumed that brown came to America about 40 million years ago through the Bering Isthmus. Animals came from Asia, representatives of the species are also found there.
The largest clubfoot in Russia are found on the Kamchatka Peninsula. There giants live 20-30 years. In captivity, with good maintenance, bears live up to half a century.
Polar bear
According to its habitat, it is called polar. The scientific name of the species in Latin is translated as "sea bear". Predators are associated with snow, the expanses of the ocean. In the water, polar bears hunt, catching fish and seals.
The ocean does not prevent the migration of polar clubfoot. On the water, they overcome hundreds of kilometers, working with wide front feet, like oars. The hind legs act as a rudder. Going out onto the ice floes, the bears do not slip, because they have rough feet.
Among terrestrial predators, the animal is the largest. In length, the predator reaches 3 meters. The standard weight is 700 kilograms. So that kind of polar bear awesome. In nature, an animal has no enemies other than man.
studying types of bears, only at the polar you will find hollow wool. The hair is empty from the inside. Firstly, it gives an additional layer of air in the fur coat. Gas is a poor conductor of heat, it does not release it from the skin of a predator.
Secondly, the cavities in the white hairs are needed to reflect light. In fact, clubfoot hair is colorless. White hair only looks, allowing the predator to merge with the surrounding snow.
Himalayan bear
Otherwise called the black Asian bear. It is distinguished by large ears, an elegant physique by the standards of clubfoot, and an elongated muzzle.
The habitat of the Himalayan extends from Iran to Japan. The predator prefers mountainous areas. Hence the name of the species. In Russia, its representatives live beyond the Amur, as a rule, in the Ussuri region.
Black bear is named for the dark color of the coat. It is longer on the head and neck, forming a kind of mane. There is a white spot on the chest of the predator. However, there are subspecies of the animal without it.
Maximum weight Himalayan bear is 140 kilograms. The length of the animal reaches one and a half meters. But the claws of a predator are thicker and larger than those of brown and polar individuals. The reason is the way of life of the black bear. Most he spends his time in the trees. Claws help climb them.
The Asian clubfoot cannot be called a formidable predator. From animal food, the bear usually consumes only insects. The basis of the diet are herbs, roots, berries, acorns.
baribal
Alternative name - black bear. He lives in the North, especially in the east of the continent. The appearance of the predator is close to the appearance of the brown clubfoot. However, the baribal has more protruding shoulders, lower ears and, as the name implies, black hair. However, on the muzzle it is lighter.
The name of the animal is similar to the name of the family to which it is assigned. There are no other members of the family. By the way, this also applies to the little panda. She is also one of a kind.
The closest relative of the koala is, but not a bear at all, and not even little panda.
About 30 million years ago, 18 species of marsupial "bears" lived on the planet. There were also unseen modern man true clubfoot. Among them, 5-6 species became extinct.
extinct bears
The number of extinct bears is vague, as the existence of one species is in question. There is a glimmer of hope that the Tibetan clubfoot still exists, although for a long time it does not fall into the eyes of people and into the lenses of video cameras. If you meet, let the scientists know. The bear looks like a brown one, but the front part of the body is reddish. The withers of the animal are almost black. In the inguinal region, the hair is red. The rest of the hair behind the predator is dark brown. The bear lived in the east of the Tibetan plateau.
California Grizzly
It is depicted on the flag of California, but has not been found in or out of the state since 1922. Then they killed the last representative type of animal.
Bear had a golden coat color. The beast was a totemic among the Indians. The Redskins believed that they were descended from the grizzly, so they did not hunt the ancestor. The clubfoot was exterminated by white settlers.
mexican grizzly bear
Officially declared extinct in the 60s of the last century. The animal was large, weighing approximately 360 kilograms.
The Mexican grizzly was distinguished by whitish claws on its front paws, small ears and a high forehead.
Etruscan bear
Fossil species, lived in the Pliocene. This geological period ended 2.5 million years ago. The second name of the predator is the short-faced bear. This is the one with 13 pairs of ribs.
Skeletons of Etruscan bears are found only in southern latitudes. Therefore, scientists suggest that the beast was thermophilic. It is also known that the extinct animal was large, weighing about 600 kilograms.
Atlas bear
Inhabited the lands from Morocco to Libya. The last individual was killed by hunters in 1870. Outwardly, the animal was distinguished by reddish hair below the body and dark brown above. There was a white spot on the bear's muzzle.
Unlike most bears, the Atlas preferred desert and arid areas. The name of the species is associated with a chain of mountains where clubfoot lived. Zoologists attributed them to subspecies of the brown bear.
Giant polar bear
Appearance polar bear was similar to the modern one. Only here in length the beast reached 4 meters, and weighed 1200 kilograms. Such giants lived on the planet 100 thousand years ago.
So far, scientists have found the only ulna of a giant bear. Found a bone in the Pleistocene deposits of Great Britain.
The survival of modern polar bears is also in question. The number of species is sharply reduced. This is due to climate change. Glaciers are melting. Animals have to do more and more long swims. Many predators get to the shore exhausted. Meanwhile, it is not easy for full-powered bears to get food in the snowy expanses.
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