Types of bears - Species and their characteristics

Malay Bear

The Malay bears , also known as sun bears ( Helarctos malayanus ) inhabit the warm areas of Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam or Borneo, although their populations have declined alarmingly in recent years due to the disappearance of their natural habitat and the use attributed by Chinese medicine to the bile of this animal.

It is the species of bear smaller than there are, males weigh between 30 and 70 kilograms and females between 20 and 40 kilograms.Their fur is black and very short, adapted to the warm climate where they live.They have a spot on their chest.Horseshoe-shaped orange.

Their diet is based on the consumption of nuts and fruits, even if they eat anything they have at their disposal, such as small mammals or reptiles.You can also consume honey whenever they find it.To do this they have a very long tongue, with which they will take the honey out of the hives.

They don't have breeding season, so they can reproduce throughout the year.Also, the Malaysian bears do not hibernate.After the copula the male will stay with the female to help her find food and a nest for future offspring, when they are born the male can stay or leave.Once the offspring are separated from their mother, the male will go away or re-copulate with the female.

Lip bear

Lipped bears or lazy bears ( Melursus ursinus ) live in India, Sri Lanka and Nepal.existed in Bangladesh has become extinct.They can live in several different habitats such as humid and dry tropical forests, savannas, thickets and grasslands.They avoid places very disturbed by humans.

They are characterized by having hair long, smooth and black, very different from other species of bears.It has a very elongated snout with prominent and mobile lips.On the chest they have a white "V" stain.They can weigh 180 kilograms .

Your diet is halfway between insectivora and frugivora .Insects such as termites and ants can account for more than 80% of the food although when it is the time of fruiting of the plants, the fruit will suppose between 70 and 90% of the feeding of the bear.

They reproduce between May and July, the female s give birth to one or two puppies between the months of November and January.During the first nine months the offspring will be transported on their mother's back and stay with her for one or two and a half years.

Spectacled bear

The spectacled bears ( Tremarctos ornatus ) live in South America and are endemic to the Tropical Andes .They can be found in the countries of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru.

The main characteristic of these animals is, without a doubt, the white spots around their eyes.These spots also extend by the snout and neck.The rest of the fur is black.Its skin is thinner than that of other bear species, due to the hot climate where it lives.

They can live in a wide variety of ecosystems along the tropical Andes, including dry tropical forests, humid tropical lowlands, montane forests, dry and humid tropical shrublands and high-altitude tropical shrublands and grasslands.

Like most bears, The spectacled bear is an omnivorous animal, its diet is based on very fibrous and hard vegetation, such as palm branches and leaves Era and bromeliad.They can also eat mammals such as rabbits or tapirs from montana, but above all they consume poultry.When the time comes when the plants are in fruit, the bears complement their diet with a great variety of tropical fruits .

Not much is known about the reproduction of these animals in the wild.In captivity, females behave like seasonal poliestrics.There is a mating peak between March and October months.The litter size varies from one to four puppies, with twins being the most common.

Grizzly

The brown bear ( Ursus arctos ) is distributed throughout much of the northern hemisphere, Europe, Asia and the western part of the United States, Alaska and Canada.Being such a widespread species, many of the populations are considered subspecies, with about 12 distinct .

An example is the Kodiak bear ( Ursus arctos middendorffi ) that inhabits the Kodiak archipelago in Alaska.The types of bears in Spain are reduced to the European species, Ursus arctos arctos , which is found from the north of the Iberian Peninsula to Scandinavia and Russia.

Brown bears are not only brown, they can also be black or cream color.The size varies according to the subspecies, between 90 and 550 kilograms .In the upper range of We find the Kodiak bear and in the lower one the European bear.

They occupy a wide variety of habitats, from dry Asian steppes to scrubland and temperate humid forests.go in a greater diversity of habitats than any other species of bear, they also exploit a great variety of food.In the United States, they are more carnivorous as we approach the north pole, where they inhabit more ungulates and can find salmon.In Europe and Asia they have a more omnivore diet.

Reproduction occurs between the months of April and July, but the fertilized egg is not implanted in the elutero until autumn.Puppies, one to three , born in January or February, when the mother is hibernating.They will be with her for two or four years.

Asian black bear

The population of the Asian black bear ( Ursus thibetanus ) is in recession.This animal inhabits southern Iran, the most mountainous regions of the north from Pakistan and Afghanistan, the southern side of the Himalayas through India, Nepal and Butan and the Southeast Asian mainland, extending southward into Myanmar and Thailand.

They are black with a small white spot with Crescent shape on the chest.The skin around the neck is thicker than in the rest of the body and the hair in this area is longer, giving the sensation of having mane.It is of medium size, between 65 and 150 kilograms .

They live in many different types of forests, both in broadleaf and coniferous wood forests, near sea level or at more than 4,000 meters of altitude.

They have a very varied and seasonal feeding.In spring their food is based on green stems, leaves and shoots.In summer they eat a wide variety of insects like ants that you may be looking for for 7 or 8 hours and bees, also fruits.In autumn, your preference changes to the acorns, nuts and chestnuts .They also feed on ungulates and cattle .

They reproduce in June and July, they give birth between November and March, depending on the conditions of the fertilized medium the implant will be implanted before or after.They have about two puppies that will remain with the mother for two years.

American black bear

The American black bear ( Ursus americanus) has become extinct in most of the United States and Mexico, currently inhabiting Canada and Alaska , where the population is on the rise.It mainly lives in temperate and boreal forests, but also extends subtropical areas of Florida and Mexico, as well as the sub-arctic.They can live near sea level or more than 3,500 meters of altitude.

Despite its name, the American black bear may have another coat color, somewhat more brownish and even white spots.They can weigh between 40 kilograms (females) ) and 250 kilograms (males).They have a much more robust complexion than other bear species and a larger head.

It is a generalist and opportunistic omnivor, eat anything that find, depending on the season, they will eat one thing or another, herbs, leaves, stems, seeds, fruit, garbage, cattle, mammals silves three or bird eggs.In autumn, Historically, bears have fed on American chestnuts ( Castanea dentata ) but after a plague in the twentieth century that reduced the population of trees, bears began to eat oak acorns and nuts.

The breeding season begins at the end of spring, but the cubs will not be born until the mother is hibernating, like other species of bears.

Giant panda bear

In the past, populations of panda ( Ailuropoda melanoleuca ) spread throughout China, but have now been relegated to the western end of the Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces.Thanks to the efforts invested in its conservation, it seems that this species is growing again, so the giant panda is not in danger of extinction.

The panda It is the most different course.It is believed that it was isolated for more than 3 million years, so the divergence in appearance is normal.This bear has a very rounded and white head, with ears and the black eye contour, the rest of the body is also black, minus the back and belly.

As for the panda bear habitat, we should know that they live in temperate mountains forests from China, at an altitude of between 1,200 and 3,300 meters.In these forests bamboo abounds , which is its main and practically Theunic food.The panda bears change periodically, following the bamboo growth rate.

They reproduce from March to May, the pregnancy lasts between 95 and 160 days and the offspring (one or two) pass a year and a half or two with his mother until they become independent.

Polar Bear

The polar bear ( Ursus maritimus ) evolved from the brown bear 35 million years ago.This animal lives in the Arctic regions and its body is fully adapted to the icy weather.

Her hair, translucent by being hollow, is full of air, which works as an excellent insulator.In addition, it creates a white visual effect, perfect for camouflaging in the snow and to be able to confuse its prey.Its skin is black, an important characteristic, since this color facilitates the absorption of heat.

As for the feeding of the polar bear, we must know that we are facing one of the most carnivorous bears.Their feeding is based on several seal species such as the ringed seal ( Phoca hispida ) or the bearded seal ( Erignathus barbatus ).

Polar bears are the animals that reproduce the least.They have their first children at an age between 5 and 8 years.They usually give birth to two offspring that will spend two years with the mother.

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Bibliography

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