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Jasper National Park: grizzly bear World map showing the geographic ranges of the eight bear species, each marked in a different color. The American black bear is found across much of North America, the polar bear in Arctic regions, the brown bear across northern North America, Europe, and Asia, and the spectacled bear in a small area of northwestern South America. In Asia, the Asiatic black bear, sloth bear, sun bear, and giant panda have distinct, mostly non-overlapping ranges in the eastern and southern parts of the continent.
Small squirrel peeking out of a snowy bank, with a blue circle surrounding it.
Three polar bears (Ursus maritimus) standing together on a floating ice sheet surrounded by water and broken ice in Norway. A spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus) with distinctive pale markings on its face sits on large tree branches. sun bear (Helarctos malayanus) A sloth bear (Melursus ursinus) with long shaggy black fur stands on rocky terrain, resting one paw on a large boulder.
How polar bears survive in the Russian Arctic
An illustration of an Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) sitting upright, showing its dark fur and distinctive white chest marking, with a scale bar indicating 30 centimeters or 12 inches for size reference. American black bear
At a Glance
Jasper National Park: grizzly bear
bear summary
Quizzes
Dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius). Animals, mammals.
Ultimate Animals Quiz
Sea otter (Enhydra lutris), also called great sea otter, rare, completely marine otter of the northern Pacific, usually found in kelp beds. Floats on back. Looks like sea otter laughing. saltwater otters
Animal Group Names
Lion (panthera leo)
Deadliest Animals Quiz
Young chimpanzee dressed in a shirt and sweater vest, scratching his head thinking. (primates)
Wild Words from the Animal Kingdom Vocabulary Quiz
Mute swan with cygnet. (birds)
Match the Baby Animal to Its Mama Quiz
Related Questions

bear: References & Edit History

Article Contributors

Primary Contributors

  • Howard James Stains
  • Serge Lariviere
    Director General, Cree Hunters and Trappers Income Security Board, Sainte-Foy, Quebec, Canada.
  • The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
    Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.

Other Encyclopedia Britannica Contributors

Article History

Type Description Contributor Date
Modified link of Web site: Animal Diversity Web - Ursidae. Feb 13, 2026
Add new Web site: Cell Press - Trends in Genetics - Bear essentials. May 14, 2025
Questions and answers added. Mar 19, 2025
Add new Web site: National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Conservation and management of the culture of bears. Mar 17, 2025
Media added. Nov 27, 2024
Add new Web site: World Animal Foundation - All You Need to Know about the Grizzly Bear � Fuzzy Teddy Bears but with a Bad Attitude and Sharp Teeth! Mar 31, 2023
Added a map of the geographic ranges of living bears. Sep 23, 2022
Noted that polar bears (Ursus maritimus) and brown bears (U. arctos) bred extensively with one another as late as 100,000 years ago and nearly 10 percent of the genomes of modern brown bears can be traced to polar bears. Aug 26, 2022
Add new Web site: National Geographic Kids - 10 black bear facts! Jul 25, 2022
Article revised and updated. Apr 18, 2022
Media added. Aug 09, 2017
Add new Web site: BioKIDS - Bear. Apr 10, 2017
Add new Web site: OneKind - Bear. Aug 30, 2016
Add new Web site: LiveScience - Bears: Facts & Pictures. Aug 30, 2016
Added videos. May 26, 2015
Add new Web site: San Diego Zoo - Kids - Bear. Oct 25, 2013
Add new Web site: A-Z Animals - Bear. Aug 27, 2013
Add new Web site: Buzzle.com - Bear. Aug 27, 2013
Add new Web site: Animal Planet - Bear. Aug 27, 2013
Text added noting the timing of the evolutionary divergence of black bears (Ursus americanus), brown bears (Ursus arctos), and polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from one another. Aug 13, 2012
Text mentioning the classification of the red, or lesser, panda Ailurus fulgens in family Ailuridae added. Feb 01, 2012
Added new Web site: Pennsylvania Center for the Book - Charles Willson Peale. May 27, 2008
Added new Web site: Wildscreen Arkive - Liverwort. May 27, 2008
Added new Web site: Enchanted Learning - Bear. Mar 10, 2008
Media added. Nov 15, 2007
Added new Web site: Animal Diversity Web - Ursidae. May 30, 2006
Article revised and updated. Apr 19, 2006
Article added to new online database. May 04, 1999
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