Types of bears: photos and names. Types of polar bears

Bears are mammals that appeared on our planet long before humans (at least, according to official science).

According to scientists, mammals classified as carnivores descend from prehistoric animals that resemble modern martens in appearance. Their scientific name is miacids (period of their existence on Earth: 65 - 34 million years ago).

Bears belong to the suborder Caniformia ("dog-like" or canine-like). It is believed that the ancestor of modern bears was a raccoon-sized animal. This "great-bear" lived on the territory of present-day Europe approximately in the middle of the Oligocene (about 29 million years ago). It is from this ancient "raccoon" that the genus Ursavus originated, the remains of which were excavated by paleontologists in Eurasia.

However, bears, in the form in which we know them, appeared only after many million years (about 5 - 6 million years ago). The remains of the beast Ursus minimus were found on the territory of modern France; it was this species that was recognized as one of the first "real bears" on Earth.

A little later, Ursus etruscus (Etruscan bear) appeared on our planet, according to the results of studies of its remains, he lived about 2.5 million years ago. His places of residence were modern China and Europe. Scientists believe that the Himalayan bear as well as the baribal are descendants of the Etruscan bear.

After about 500 thousand years, i.e. - 2 million years ago, Etruscan bears began to increase in size, probably under the influence of changes in lifestyle and climatic fluctuations, giving rise to larger species: Ursus savini, Ursus spelaeus, Ursus deninger, in addition, it was from the modified Etruscan bears that and modern white as well as brown bears.

Over time, many species of these massive mammals became extinct, this happened during the Anthropogen period (also called the Quaternary period, it was during this period of earthly evolution that man appeared).

As for special species of bears, such as the giant panda, scientists consider them to be the ancestors of animals from the genus Agriarctos (they are called extinct pandas). The modern genus of pandas (Ailuropoda) began its existence on Earth during the Pleistocene (about 2.5 million years ago).

Today bears are one of the most common animals on Earth. Unfortunately, human greed and thoughtlessness, the constant displacement of bears from their usual habitat may soon put some species on the brink of extinction. However, bears still inhabit the territory of North and South America, Eurasia and even the Northern regions of the African continent. They are found in dense forests, mountainous areas.

Grizzly is an inhabitant of North America.

Based on the study of fossilized remains, paleontologists believe that the evolution of the ancestors of modern bears began with the Oligocene era, about 30-40 million years ago. Then from the carnivores living on trees and called myacids (Miacidae) animals, one small group emerged, and then the second, which included raccoons and common noses, as well as the third, uniting canines - wolves, foxes, coyotes, dogs.

All three distinguished groups - bears, raccoons and dogs - have higher intelligence than other mammals. Perhaps this is due to the fact that primitive sacrifices were readily available. But over millions of years, some animal species have become more wary and cunning. As the prey became smarter, natural selection favored the emergence of more cunning and dexterous predators. Bears, raccoons, and the canine family have survived through the evolution of their brains.

Some paleontologists believe that the oldest creature worthy of being called a bear was Ursavuselemensis, a dog-sized predator that lived in Europe about 20 million years ago.

Bigger and already more bear-like animals existed about six million years ago and evolved into many varieties, some of them just became giants. However, many of these species have become extinct, likely due to climate and habitat changes. It is believed that modern bears evolved from the small animal Protursus, which evolved into the genus Ursus 2 to 3 million years ago. His ancestors followed three lines: the European one, the representative of which became the predecessor of the extinct cave bear, U. spelaus, and two Asiatic ones, from which the current brown and black bears descended.

At least two species of large bears once roamed much of North America. A cave bear that lived in Florida on the coast of Coates Bay migrated to the Tennessee area. The short-faced bear has spread across the territory from Alaska to Mexico and further east as far as Virginia. He was apparently the largest bear of the Ice Age: above five feet (1.52 meters) at the level of the shoulder girdle, when he walked normally, without lifting on his hind legs, i.e. 15 percent higher than the grizzly bear (a very large species of brown bear) that lives on the coast of Alaska today. The short-faced bear could easily defeat the largest prehistoric mammal.

It is believed that the very first brown bears appeared in China. They spread to Asia, Europe, and then during the Ice Age through the Bering Strait they came to North America. The youngest of the modern species is the polar, or polar, bear, which descended from the coastal Siberian brown bear one hundred thousand or a quarter of a million years ago.

Adapting to life in the harsh Arctic conditions, where there is little or no vegetation, required not only changing the color of the coat to white, but also quickly developing the skills to get new food. These beasts have become the most carnivorous of all bears. In many areas of the polar region, the polar bear feeds only on seals.

Strikingly similar in appearance, but completely different from the bear, the animal is the panda, sometimes the so-called panda bear. Some zoologists-taxonomists classify it as a special genus of bears, but the true systematic classification of the panda has not yet been determined and remains the subject of controversy and discussion. This animal also came from myacids.

For a long time, scientists attributed the panda more to raccoons than to bears. Although scientists may eventually agree that the panda belongs to its own unique species. It is the only creature of its kind in which the wrist joint in the front paw has changed so much that a sixth toe is formed, which acts as a thumb. This animal is as agile as a raccoon, but more herbivorous than a bear or raccoon. Rather, he is united with bears by his depressing situation - both of them are at great risk. Scientists still do not have a consensus on the division of the bear family into different species, and even more so subspecies. In the meantime, we can give the following classification adopted by specialists:

American black bear (Ursus americanus)
Asiatic black, or moon, bear (Selenarctos thibetanus)
Brown bear, including Alaskan brown bear and grizzly bear (U. arctos)
White, or polar, bear (U. maritimus)
Sloth, or Indian, bear (Melursus ursinus)
Spectacled, or Andean, bear (Tremarctos ornatus)
Sunny, or Malay, bear (Helarctos malayanus )

The bear is the largest predator on earth. This animal belongs to the class mammals, predatory order, bear family, bear genus ( Ursus). The bear appeared on the planet about 6 million years ago and has always been a symbol of power and strength.

Bear - description, characteristics, structure. What does a bear look like?

Depending on the species, the body length of the predator can vary from 1.2 to 3 meters, and the weight of the bear varies from 40 kg to a ton. The body of these animals is large, stocky, with a thick, short neck and a large head. Powerful jaws make it easy to gnaw at both plant and meat food. The limbs are rather short and slightly curved. Therefore, the bear walks, swaying from side to side, and rests on the entire foot. The speed of a bear in moments of danger can reach 50 km / h. With the help of large and sharp claws, these animals get food out of the ground, tear apart the prey and climb trees. Many species of bears swim well. A polar bear has a special membrane between the toes for this. The life span of a bear can reach 45 years.

Bears do not have keen eyesight or well-developed hearing. This is offset by an excellent sense of smell. Sometimes animals stand on their hind legs in order to obtain information about their surroundings using their scent.

Thick bear furcovering the body, has a different color: from reddish brown to black, white in polar bears or black and white in pandas. Species with dark fur turn gray and become gray by old age.

Does a bear have a tail?

Yes, but only the giant panda has a noticeable tail. In other species, it is short and practically indistinguishable in the fur.

Types of bears, names and photos

In the family, bear zoologists distinguish 8 species of bears, which are divided into many different subspecies:

• Brown bear (common bear) (Ursus arctos)

The appearance of a predator of this species is typical for all representatives of the bear family: a powerful body, rather high at the withers, a massive head with rather small ears and eyes, a short, barely noticeable tail, and large paws with very powerful claws. The body of the brown bear is covered with thick hair with brownish, dark gray, reddish coloration, which varies from the habitat of the "clubfoot". Baby cubs often have large light tan marks on the chest or neck, although these markings disappear with age.

The distribution area of \u200b\u200bthe brown bear is wide: it is found in the mountain systems of the Alps and on the Apennine Peninsula, common in Finland and the Carpathians, it feels comfortable in Scandinavia, Asia, China, in the northwest of the United States and in Russian forests.

• Polar (white) bear (Ursus maritimus)

It is the largest member of the family: its body length often reaches 3 meters, and its weight can exceed one ton. The polar bear has a long neck and a slightly flattened head - this distinguishes it from its counterparts of other species. The color of the bear's coat is from boiling white to slightly yellowish, the hairs are hollow inside, therefore they give the bear's "fur coat" excellent thermal insulation properties. The soles of the paws are densely "lined" with bunches of coarse wool, which allows the polar bear to easily move on the ice cover without slipping. There is a membrane between the toes to facilitate swimming. The habitat of this species of bears is the circumpolar regions of the Northern Hemisphere.

• Baribal (black bear) (Ursus americanus)

The bear looks a little like a brown relative, but differs from it in smaller size and bluish-black fur. The length of an adult baribal does not exceed two meters, and the female bear is even smaller - their body is usually 1.5 meters long. A pointed muzzle, long legs, ending in rather short feet - this is what this representative of bears is remarkable for. By the way, baribals can become black only by the third year of life, at birth they get a gray or brownish color. The habitat of the black bear is extensive: from the vastness of Alaska to the territories of Canada and hot Mexico.

• Malay bear (biruang) (Helarctos malayanus)

The most "miniature" species among its bear brothers: its length does not exceed 1.3-1.5 meters, and the height at the withers is slightly more than half a meter. This type of bear has a stocky build, a short, rather wide muzzle with small round ears. The paws of the Malay bear are high, while large, long feet with huge claws look a little disproportionately. The body is covered with short and very hard black-brown fur, the chest of the animal is "decorated" with a white-red spot. The Malay bear lives in the southern regions of China, Thailand and Indonesia.

• White-breasted (Himalayan) bear (Ursus thibetanus)

The slender physique of the Himalayan bear is not too large in size - this representative of the family is two times smaller than the brown relative: the male is 1.5-1.7 meters long, while the height at the withers is only 75-80 cm, the female is even smaller. The body of a bear, covered with shiny and silky hair of dark brown or black color, is crowned with a head with a pointed snout and large round ears. An obligatory "attribute" of the Himalayan bear's appearance is a spectacular white or yellowish spot on the chest. This species of bears lives in Iran and Afghanistan, is found in the mountainous regions of the Himalayas, in Korea, Vietnam, China and Japan, feels at ease in the vastness of the Khabarovsk Territory and in the south of Yakutia.

• Spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus)

Medium-sized predator - length 1.5-1.8 meters, height at the withers from 70 to 80 cm. The muzzle is short, not too wide. The fur of the spectacled bear is shaggy, has a black or black-brown tint, around the eyes there are necessarily white-yellow rings, smoothly turning into a whitish "collar" of fur on the neck of the animal. The habitat of this bear species is the countries of South America: Colombia and Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador, Venezuela and Panama.

• Gubach (Melursus ursinus)

A predator with a body length of up to 1.8 meters, at the withers, height varies from 65 to 90 centimeters, females are about 30% smaller than males in both indicators. The body of the sloth beast is massive, the head is large, with a flat forehead and an overly elongated muzzle, which ends in mobile, completely devoid of hair, protruding lips. The bear's fur is long, usually black or dirty-brown, in the neck of the animal it often forms a kind of shaggy mane. Sloth bear's chest has a light spot. The habitat of this species of bears is India, some regions of Pakistan, Bhutan, the territory of Bangladesh and Nepal.

• Big panda (bamboo bear) ( Ailuropoda melanoleuca)

This type of bear has a massive, squat body, which is covered with dense, thick black and white fur. Paws are short, thick, with sharp nails and absolutely hairless pads: this allows pandas to firmly hold the smooth and slippery bamboo stems. The structure of the front paws of these bears is very unusually developed: five ordinary toes complements the great sixth, although it is not a real toe, but a modified bone. Such amazing paws enable the panda to easily handle the finest bamboo shoots. The bamboo bear lives in the mountainous regions of China, especially large populations live in Tibet and Sichuan.

Where do bears live?

The distribution area of \u200b\u200bbears includes Eurasia, North and South America, Asia, some islands of Japan, Northwestern Africa and the Arctic expanses. Bears live in the forest. In addition to polar bears, all members of this family are sedentary. They can stay in families (a bear with cubs), but usually prefer solitude. Each individual has its own territory in which the bear lives, hunts and hibernates. In places with surplus food, several bears can be at the same time. Animals living in cold regions go into seasonal hibernation, lasting up to 200 days.

What does a bear eat?

The bear's diet includes both plant and animal food. Brown bears eat meat in addition to berries, mushrooms, nuts and various roots

Breeding bears

Although bears are monogamous, their mates are not durable. Soon after the mating season, which takes place in different species at different times, they disintegrate. Depending on the species, a bear's pregnancy lasts from 180 to 250 days. The female bear gives birth during hibernation and leaves the shelter with the cubs. There are usually from 1 to 4 cubs in a litter, which are born without teeth, with closed eyes and practically without fur. They feed on mother's milk for about a year. For about 2 years, babies are near their mother. Cubs from the past litter help the mother in raising young offspring. Bears become sexually mature by 3-5 years.

In zoos, bears are kept in large enclosures, in which conditions have been created that are most appropriate for the natural habitat of each species. In addition to tree trunks, piles of stones and wooden structures, a spacious pool is required. The feed must be seasonally appropriate and contain products that are available to the animal in natural conditions. Vitamins, bone meal and fish oil are used as an addition to the diet. Despite the fact that little bear cubs are very cute and funny, it is not worth keeping this wild animal at home: an adult bear is a dangerous and strong predator, for which the home is a natural natural space.

• The Malay (solar) bear is the smallest among the "bear" representatives - its size does not exceed the size of a large dog: the height at the withers is only 55-70 centimeters, and its weight varies from 30 to 65 kg.
• The normal pulse of a bear is 40 beats per minute, but during hibernation, this figure drops to 8-10 beats.
• Only the polar bear is a true predator: it eats meat and fish, all other species of "clubfoot" are omnivorous and prefer a varied menu.
• A newborn brown bear at birth weighs only 450-500 grams, but by reaching puberty this baby gains 1000 times in weight!

Recent studies of the mitochondrial DNA of different bear species have shown that all living polar bears originate from the same population of brown bears that existed about 120 thousand years ago in Alaska. This dating is too young to be accepted without objection. A new study reveals the limitations of the method used and gives new estimates of the age at which polar bears form - about 600 thousand years.

A year ago "Elements" published a note on the evolution of polar bears (In the Pleistocene, polar bears interbred with brown ones, "Elements", 22.07.2011). This was the announcement of a study in which scientists compared the mitochondrial DNA of brown and polar bears from different regions, including from fossil (ancient) remains. The main conclusions of this work boiled down to the statement about the repeated crossing of polar and brown bears in past eras, as well as the relatively young age of the lines of modern polar bears. According to this work, polar bears evolved from some Alaskan populations of brown bears during one of the cold snaps about 100–120 thousand years ago, then, during interglacial warming, the populations of polar and brown bears crossed. The modern maternal lines of polar bears are all completely descended from polar bear hybrids with the Irish (British) population of brown bears. These conclusions are relatively reliable in terms of interglacial breeding of brown and polar bears, but less substantiated in the question of the time and place of origin of polar bears. Based only on mtDNA, one can confidently talk about modern, surviving maternal lines; but nothing can be said about other lines that existed in previous epochs and did not survive to the present day. So conclusions about the time of the origin of polar bears are rather shaky, and the dating obtained can be greatly underestimated.

Over the past year, data on the composition of some regions of the nuclear genome of polar and brown bears were processed. They include sequences of 14 independent loci (introns) in 45 individuals of polar bears, brown bears, and grizzlies. Having them, it remained to conduct a study similar to mtDNA-phylogenetic reconstructions and compare the findings with previous results. This work was done by an international group of scientists, but I note that not a single participant or laboratory of the previous study took part in the new study. Therefore, no "curtsey" towards colleagues was expected, and as a result, an exclusively approximate scientific discussion turned out.

However, the result of the new study was quite expected. The phylogenetic tree of nuclear DNA (aligned at all fourteen loci) showed the dating of the branch of polar bears 338-934 thousand years ago, on average about 600 thousand years ago. It is clear that this is much earlier than the estimates for mtDNA, and is in better agreement with other data on single nuclear genes. In addition, high specialization, morphological and ecological, requires a relatively long directed evolution, which could well fit within the 600-thousand-year interval, but not in the 100-thousand-year interval. At the same time, according to new materials on mtDNA, the recent hybridization of two species and the survival of the only hybrid line were confirmed. Indeed, female brown bears could interbreed with male polar bears, and their hybrid descendants turned out to be fertile and, after interbreeding with polar bears, founded all modern populations of polar bears.

Polar bears descended from a common ancestor and turned out to be a sister group in relation to all brown bears, and not to any one of their branches. The mtDNA phylogenetic tree suggested that only one of the populations of brown bears was a sister group of polar bears. Taking into account the early formation of the polar species, the scenario with a common ancestor of polar and brown bears looks preferable.

Polymorphism of nuclear genes of polar bears was found to be low compared to brown counterparts. Of the 114 haplotypes (in the studied fourteen loci) of polar and brown bears, 35 are found in polar bears, 79 in brown bears, and only 6 are common; in polar bears only 22 nucleotide substitutions (SNPs) were noted, while in brown bears - 95. These differences allow us to draw two conclusions. First, the species diverged relatively long ago, so that little remains of the common ancestral polymorphism. This conclusion is confirmed by the ancient branch of the polar bear branch. Second, the population size (we are talking about the effective population size) of polar bears was much smaller than that of brown bears. This means that polar bears have gone through several episodes of low population size, so-called bottlenecks. Most likely, these episodes are associated with periods of warming, when the moments of crossing of brown and white representatives were recorded. At the present time, there really is only one - a hybrid - maternal line of all that existed before. And although it should be noted that in the nuclear genome of polar bears among 14 loci, it was not possible to trace a clear hybridization signal, it is quite possible that it was the genes of brown bears that helped their polar bears survive in one way or another periods of warming. But in the genome of brown bears, the following signals were found: stable haplogroups of polar bears were found in the populations of Alaskan brown bears. Scientists speculate that the inclusion of specific genes in polar bears helped their brown bears survive the harsh conditions of the ice ages.

Bears are some of the smartest creatures on our planet. For us humans, this huge animal has always inspired fear and apprehension. These predatory animals belong to the bear family. Different types of bears live in nature, having much in common, but very different from each other.

According to scientists, bears appeared on our planet about 5-6 million years ago. Many species of these animals died out in the process of evolution, only four species remained: brown bear (grizzly and Kodiak belong to it), baribal, polar bear and Himalayan bear.

External appearance. General characteristics of all types of bears

All types of bears are quite large in size and weight. The smallest are representatives of baribals (from 40 to 236 kilograms with a body length of 140-200 cm). The Himalayan ones are a little heavier than their relatives, they weigh 120 - 140 kilograms, and the length is from 150 centimeters.

The brown species is distinguished by the presence of even larger individuals: the average weight of representatives of this species is from 500 kilograms, and the body length is from one and a half meters. But the largest of all bears are white. The body length of an adult is from two meters or more, and they weigh up to 1 ton!

Representatives of each species also differ in coat color. Brown have a color from light fawn to almost black. Baribals are pure black in color with a light spot on the nose or chest. Polar bears have a color that corresponds to the name (i.e. white). The coat of the Himalayan bear is shiny, glossy, it has, mainly, a black tint, sometimes brown or red. There is a light spot on the chest.

A distinctive feature of white bears is the presence of a swimming membrane between the toes, which allows them to easily move and hunt in the water.

Distribution of bears in nature

These predatory animals live in the north of Europe, on the continent of North America and in the Asian part of the continent of Eurasia.

The territory occupied by brown bears is the Pyrenees, Alps, Apennines, some parts of Iraq and Iran, the island of Hokkaido in Japan, the USA, Russia. Polar bears live in the polar regions of the northern hemisphere. Baribals are inhabitants of the North American continent. The Himalayan bear family lives in Iran, Pakistan, China, Russia (Far East) and Vietnam.

Animal lifestyle and behavior

Brown bear and baribal are forest dwellers. The polar bear lives on drifting ice floes. And the Himalayan is a semi-woody beast.

Brown bears are solitary animals, with the exception of the female. which at first lives with young offspring. They are active mainly during daylight hours. In winter, brown bears go into hibernation.

Baribals are twilight animals that lead a solitary life. In cold weather they lie down in their dens, in hibernation.

Polar bears are nomadic animals with excellent hearing and sense of smell, allowing them to sense prey living under water or located at a distance of several kilometers.

Forages trees. But trees for him are not only a way to find food, but also to escape from enemies and harmful insects. Spends the winter season in hibernation.

Eating bears

The basis of nutrition for brown and Himalayan bears is animal and plant food. Both of these species eat nuts, acorns, stems of herbs, fruits of berry bushes, as well as: insects, meat of other animals (sometimes livestock), fish.

Two polar bears share a whale carcass. Seagulls, eternal companions of bears, are circling nearby.

They eat mainly animal food: sea hare, ringed seal, walrus, fish and others.

The Himalayan bear's diet is based on plant foods. He uses the fruits of berry plants, herb shoots, acorns, nuts. Sometimes insects, frogs, mollusks come to him for "lunch". He does not disdain carrion either.

Breeding bears

In brown bears, the female's pregnancy lasts from 6 to 8 months, after which 2 - 3 cubs are born. At the age of 4-6 years, the cubs become fully adults. A brown bear lives in nature from 20 to 30 years.

In baribals, the female bears offspring for 220 days and gives birth to 1 to 5 cubs. Usually, babies are born in the first months of winter. At the age of 2 - 5 years, small baribals fully mature. In the wild, these bears live only up to 10 years.

Polar bears give birth to cubs 250 days after mating. There are from 1 to 3 cubs in a litter. And a polar bear gives birth once every 2 - 3 years. In the wild, polar bears live for 25 to 30 years.

Himalayan bears give birth to 1 - 2 cubs, which at 3 years become fully mature individuals. And these bears live for about 25 years.

Himalayan bears are only black in color, and they have a white or yellow spot in the shape of the letter V on their chest.