these mighty animals we all know from childhood.But few people know what are the different types of bears.Images in children's books often introduces us to the brown and polar bears.It turns out that in the world there are several species of these animals.We get to know them better.
Appearance bear
When compared with other bears predators, they differ the most uniform appearance, the features of the internal structure, dimensions.Currently it is the largest of terrestrial carnivores.For example, polar bears can reach a body length of up to three meters and weighs 750, and even 1,000 kg!
Fur animals is well developed undercoat, it's pretty rough.The coat - high.Only the Malay bear can not boast of such a fur coat - his cover is low and rare.
Color varied - from black to white, can be contrasted.Seasonal color changes.
Lifestyle
Different kinds of bears live in very different circumstances.They thrive in the steppes and high mountains, in the forests and in the Arctic ice.In this connection, types of bears differ in the way nutrition and lifestyle.Most members of these predators prefer to settle in the mountain or lowland forests, much less in the treeless highlands.
bears are active mainly at night.The only exception is the polar bear - species of animal which is the daily way of life.
Bears are omnivores.However, some species prefer a particular food.For example, the polar bear is almost always eats the meat of mammals, pandas do not have to better goodies than bamboo shoots.However, they complement his small amount of animal food.
Species diversity
animal lovers Quite often ask, "How many species of bears living in the world?" For those who are interested in these animals, it seems that they are countless.Unfortunately, it is not.Today, our planet is inhabited by species of bears, the list of which is as follows:
- brown bears;
- black;
- white;
- Himalayan;
- spectacle;
- sloth;
- biruang;
- pandas.
There subspecies and varieties of these animals, but we'll discuss this in another article.
Brown bears are big and seemingly clumsy animals.They belong to the order of predators, the bear family.The body length - from 200 to 280 cm.
It's a pretty common type.The brown bear lives throughout the Eurasian and North American forests.Nowadays, this predator completely disappeared from the territory of Japan, although in ancient times it was common here.In Western and Central Europe, the brown bear can be seen very rarely, in some mountainous areas.There is reason to believe that in these areas it is an endangered species.The brown bear is still widespread in Siberia, the Far East and the northern regions of our country.
Brown bears - animals settled.Forest area occupied by one individual, can reach several hundred square kilometers.We can not say that the bears are strictly protected boundaries of their territories.At each site there is a permanent place where the animal feed, building temporary shelters and dens.
Although sedentary, this predator can lean years to wander in search of more abundant food for a distance of over 300 kilometers.
Hibernation
Everyone knows that winter brown bears hibernate.Previously, he carefully prepares his den, which settles in remote places - on the islands in the middle of swamps, in windbreaks.The bottom of their winter homes Bear lined with dry grass or moss.
to safely survive the winter, bears must accumulate a minimum of fifty kilograms of fat.For this, he eats about 700 kilograms of fruit and about 500 kilograms of pine nuts, not counting the other feeds.When issued lean on berries year, bears in northern raid the fields sown with oats, and in the southern - on corn crops.Some bears attack and ravage their apiaries.
Many people believe that during hibernation the animals hibernate.This is not quite true.They sleep quite sensitively.During hibernation, the animal lies motionless, his heart and pulmonary system slow down their activities.The body temperature of the bear range from 29 to 34 degrees.Every 5-10 breaths comes a long pause, lasting sometimes up to four minutes.In such a state reserve of fat consumed sparingly.If in this period bear to lift out of the den, he begins to lose weight quickly and in dire need of feed.Such a bear becomes a "tramp", or as it is popularly called, the connecting rod.In this state, it is very dangerous.
Depending on the climatic conditions of the predator may be in hibernation from three to six months.In the presence of food in the southern regions of the bears generally can not fall into continuous sleep and sleep only for a short time.Females with yearling cubs sleeping in a den.
Power
Different types of bears prefer to eat different foods.Animals of the species in most feed on fruit, berries and other plant foods, but occasionally may have ants, larvae of insects, rodents, along with supplies of winter.Pretty rare males arrange hunting forest ungulates.Despite the apparent clumsiness, brown bears can be very quick and agile.He quietly sneaking up on its prey and grabs her in a quick roll.Thus its speed reaches 50 km / h.
Polar bears
IUCN - The World Conservation Union for the first time in several years has expanded the list of animals that are on the verge of extinction.There were new species.Polar Bears brought not only in the international list, but in the Red Book of Russia.Today they number only 25 thousand.According to scientists, this population in the next 50 years will be reduced by almost 70%.
Rare species of bears (the photo you see our article), which recently are white and individuals affected by the industrial development of the Arctic, pollution of their habitats, global warming, and, of course, poaching.
Appearance
Many believe that the white, polar, north, sea or oshkuy - a kind of polar bears.In fact, the so-called one kind of carnivorous mammal of the family bear, brown bear close relative.
Its length - three meters, weight - about a ton.The largest animals are found off the coast of the Bering Sea, the smallest - in Svalbard.
Polar Bears are distinguished from other types of long coat and flat head.The color can be completely white or yellowish color.In the summer, the fur turns yellow when exposed to sunlight.The skin of these animals black.
Soles paws protected hair, not to slip on the ice and do not freeze.
lifestyle and diet
According to scientists, the polar bear - the most predatory of all the family.After all, he practically does not consume plant foods.Different types of bears (whose names and photos are available in our article) is almost never the first attack a human.Unlike their cousins, the polar bear is often preys on people.
Basically a "menu" of these predators make seals, mostly ringed seals.In addition, he eats any animals that he can kill.It may be rodents, birds, walruses, whales beached.For the most dangerous are the predator killer whales, which can sometimes attack in the water.
Reproduction
In October, females begin to dig a den in the snow.In mid-November, they settled there.Pregnancy lasts for 230- 240 days.Cubs are born in the end of the Arctic winter.For the first time the female brings posterity when she turns 4-6 years.Cubs appear once every two or three years.The litter is from one to three cubs.Newborns are helpless, weighing about 750 grams.The kids are starting to see in a month, two months later they teething, babies begin to gradually withdraw from the den.The bear, they do not leave one and a half years.Polar bears maloplodovity, so their numbers too slowly recovering.
Black Bear
It is also called the American black bear.The length of its body 1,8 m, weight - 150 kg.Bear has a sharp snout, high paws with sharp claws and long, short and smooth black hair.Sometimes the color is black and brown, except for a light yellow muzzle.
black bear eats only plant food - larvae, insects and small vertebrates.
pregnant females lasts up to 210 days, the cubs are born in January and February, with a weight of 400 grams, remain with their mother until April.
Himalayan bear
This beast in size gives the brown.In addition, these types differ externally bears.In the Himalayan bears a slim body, thin face, large ears.Thick and fluffy coat is usually black color with white, sometimes yellowish spot on the chest (shaped like the letter V).
Large adults can reach a length of 170 cm and weighs 140-150 kg.Habitat - East Asia.In the west it can be found in Afghanistan, Indochina, on the southern slopes of the Himalayas.On the territory of our country it is only found in the Ussuri region, north of the Amur River.
spring black bear feeds on last year's acorns and pine nuts.Summer pleasure regales lush grass, berries and insects.There is evidence that in South Asia, it is often attacked by domestic animals can be dangerous to humans.
cubs in a litter, usually two.Their weight does not exceed 400 grams.They develop very slowly, even in the age of a month and a half, completely helpless.
spectacled bear
species of bears, we continue to study, getting acquainted with the indigenous people of South America.He settles in the mountains - from Colombia to northern Chile.It spectacled bear - an animal is not very large.His body, no longer than 1.7 meters, weighs about 140 kg.
bear covered with a thick, shaggy coat of black or black-brown color, with white patches around the eyes (hence the matter of his name).Preferring the mountains, as an animal often appears on the meadow slopes.Its biology is poorly understood, but at the same time, scientists consider it the herbivorous around the family.He is a fan of leaves and roots, fruits and twigs of young shrubs.Sometimes for a favorite delicacy, he climbs on the tall palm trees, breaks the young branches, and then eats them on the ground.
sloth bear
for our fellow animals last in our list - it is an exotic species of bears.Photos and names them you can see in numerous domestic and foreign publications about the animals.
sloth bear - the inhabitants of tropical countries.He lives in the forests of the Indian subcontinent and Ceylon.The length is up to 1,8 m, weight about 140 kg.It's pretty slim animal on high legs with huge claws.Muzzle somewhat pointed.The breast bright V-shaped notch.The bear is active at night.By day he is fast asleep, while (which is typical for this type only) is surprisingly loud snoring.
sloth eats mostly fruits and insects.With huge claws, he easily breaks rotten, dilapidated trunks of trees, and then he sets in motion an amazing device that can remind pump.The long snout of the animal has a very mobile lips, which extend, forming a kind of tube.
Gubachev have no upper incisors vapor, resulting in the mouth there is a gap.This feature allows the animal to extract termites.First he blows of the "home" of insects all dust and dirt, and then pulls the prey into a tube through elongated lips.
sloth Mating takes place in June, seven months appear 2-3 kid.In the shelter with her mother they spend 3 months.At first, the father takes care of their young, which is not characteristic of other species of bear.
Panda
This animal, 1.2 m long and weighing up to 160 kg, lives in the mountain forests of the western provinces of China.He prefers solitude, except during mating.It is usually in the spring.
Progeny appears in January.Born mostly 2 cubs, weighing about two kilograms each.Unlike other bears, big panda does not fall into hibernation.It feeds on various plants, roots of bamboo, sometimes small rodents and fish.
biruang
So called Malayan bear.It is the smallest member of the family bear.The length of the body does not exceed 1.4 m, an increase of not more than 0.7 m, weight - about 65 kg.Despite its modest size, compared to the fellow, the animal is strong.Biruang has a short muzzle, large paws with powerful curved claws.The body of an animal covered by a smooth, short straight black hair.On the chest there is a white mark or orange, in the form of a horseshoe.Muzzle - orange or gray.Sometimes, there are also light up.
biruang - a nocturnal animal, so he sleeps during the day, and basked in the sun, in the branches of trees.By the way, it's great climbs trees and perfectly comfortable himself to them feels.
feeds on young shoots.The female brings two pups.The animal falls asleep.
