From ancient times, a bear caused a person at the same time respect, admiration and fear. Surviving in battle with this beast forever acquired the glory of a magnificent fighter, a favorite of fate. Yes, and modern hunters consider the skin of this animal the most coveted and honorable trophy.
The image of a bear can be found in the epic and mythology of many peoples. Beliefs and fairy tales were composed about him, considered as a patron, called the master of the forest. In Russia, it was believed that remembering the name of this beast once again was useless, because he would probably hear and declare, and then surely there was no harm. There is a version that the Russians called it to those who know honey, and it is from this ancient nickname that the name “bear”, familiar to us, was formed today.
No wonder people have always been wary of the bear. This is a very large and powerful animal. And for those who want to learn about the largest representatives of the genus, our article will probably come in handy.
Polar bear
The name of this particular animal can be considered the most accurate answer to the question of which bear is the largest in the world. The polar bear is not only the largest and heaviest among its brethren, it is also the largest land mammal.
The weight of an adult animal usually reaches a ton, and the height is three meters. The lord of the Arctic spends most of his time hunting. These animals do not fall into hibernation; for them, winter is just the most active and satisfying time of the year. But in the summer, when the ice melts and it becomes more difficult to hunt, adult males fall into a peculiar state similar to hibernation: they rest for a long time, practically do not show activity, eat little. At this time, metabolism slows down, the body saves resources.
Females raising cubs are deprived of such a prerogative, therefore they often die of hunger, because their metabolism takes its course, and they cannot do without food.
Amazing fact: the skin of a polar bear is black.
Global warming, coastal development, fishing, pollution of the ocean and other human activities make the planet’s largest bear endangered.
Kodiak
Among the brown, this bear is the largest in the world. Photos of kodiak are amazing and can even scare. But at the same time, they demonstrate how beautiful this animal is: it has a proportional strong body, a thick sparkling coat, a neat head with smart eyes. But as soon as he opens his mouth, terrible huge fangs are discovered.
This species of bears can be called the most media. Hollywood directors often use kodiak as actors.
Growth of an adult male reaches 3 meters, and weight exceeds 850 kg. This animal lives on the North American continent. Not far from the coast of Alaska there is even an archipelago named the Kodiak Islands in honor of these animals that live in large numbers.
Siberian brown
Let's find out which bear is the largest among all living in our country. The first place goes to the Siberian brown, who at the same time heads the top largest in all of Eurasia.
He hosts the Kolyma and Anadyr basins. The body length of the bear reaches 2.5 meters, and the weight ranges from 800 kg.
Grizzly
This bear also belongs to the brown and is a close relative of the Siberian. On his territory, he also crowns the food chain and does not have a single natural enemy.
Grizzly bear is one of the largest bears, because its weight is 450 kg and its body length exceeds two meters.
Grizzly bear lives in Alaska, in some provinces of Canada and in a number of American states.
This beast differs from fellow animals from other regions of the world primarily in its behavior. The beast is quite aggressive. Unlike most brethren, he can attack for no apparent reason. At the beginning of the last century, grizzlies brutally paid for such a behavioral feature: repeated attacks on livestock and people more than once became the reason for mass shootings. As a result, the population size decreased by almost 30 times. Today, man in every way contributes to the preservation of the species. The grizzly bear is listed in the International Red Book, and the hunt for it is strictly controlled. Thanks to a number of measures, the population size was restored and increased.
Baribal
Black bears are smaller than brown counterparts. The largest bear in the world among them is baribal. With a growth of about 2 meters, it usually weighs from 330 to 360 kg.
This animal lives in North America, on almost the entire mainland. Biologists have noticed that these animals have very interesting behavior. During the offspring, females are combined into groups, organizing a kind of nursery. While the cubs are under the tutelage of one or several dipper, the rest are scattered in search of food for the whole company. In other periods, these animals lead a solitary lifestyle and practically do not contact each other.
Kermod
The largest kermod bear cannot be called, but it definitely belongs to the ten largest, because it weighs up to 300 kg and has a height of just under two meters. This animal lives only in forests on the coasts of Canada.
Unusual color is truly unique. Kermode is not an albino. He is related to a polar bear, but his degree is the same as with other species of the genus. Local Native American tribes call him a ghost bear. And the beast owes its literary name to the Canadian explorer Kermod, who first described the species.
Big panda
The image of a panda can be found on clothes and utensils, decor items, advertising posters and much more. The name is very popular in naming. Panda is also the emblem of WWF, the World Wide Fund for Nature Conservation and the national symbol of China. This black and white beast seems just a toy. Probably everyone feels tenderness looking at his funny photos.
The biggest bears usually look intimidating, but this is not the case. However, do not trust the first impression. Panda is a very large and strong animal, its weight exceeds 160 kg, and its average height is 1.8 meters. It turns out that this beast is larger than the Himalayan bear.
However, nature awarded the panda not only a charming appearance, but also a good disposition. Bears are well trained, love to play and rarely display aggression. They belong to predators, but bamboo branches are considered a favorite treat.
Spectacled bear
Unusual appearance went to another large bear. It is called eyeglass for the peculiar light spots on the face, similar to glasses.
The species lives in South America, and it is the largest bear in this part of the world. An adult animal has a weight of about 150 kg, and the body length usually reaches 1.9 m. Like many brethren, the spectacled bear lives in a den, but it is not typical for it to hibernate. It is active year round.
This species feeds mainly on plant foods, although in case of severe hunger it can attack animals.
Cave bear
It was the cave bear that could be the clear winner in the Biggest nomination. But this species has long ceased to exist.
The cave bear lived in Eurasia, and not in the forests, like its descendants, but in mountain caves. His height reached 3.5 meters, and the weight exceeded a ton.
According to scientists, not only global climate change, but also human hunting activity played a fatal role in extinction, which took place about 15 thousand years ago. I would like to believe that not one of the existing species will repeat its sad fate.