Brown bear in grass
Brown bear (Ursus arctos)

Ursidae is a family of mammals in the order Carnivora, which includes the giant panda, brown bear, and polar bear, and many other extant or extinct mammals. A member of this family is called a bear or an ursid. They are widespread across the Americas and Eurasia. Bear habitats are generally forests, though some species can be found in grassland and savana regions, and the polar bear lives in arctic and aquatic habitats. Most bears are 1.2–2 m (4–7 ft) long, plus a 3–20 cm (1–8 in) tail, though the polar bear is 2.2–2.44 m (7–8 ft) long, and some subspecies of brown bear can be up to 2.8 m (9 ft). Weights range greatly from the sun bear, which can be as low as 35 kg (77 lb), to the polar bear, which can be as high as 726 kg (1,600 lb). Population sizes vary, with six species classified as vulnerable with populations as low as 500, while the brown bear has a population of over 100,000 and the American black bear around 800,000. Many bear species primarily eat specific foods, such as seals for the polar bear or termites and fruit for the sloth bear, but with the exception of the giant panda, which exclusively eats bamboo, ursids are omnivorous when necessary. No ursid species have been domesticated, though some bears have been trained for entertainment.[1]

The eight species of Ursidae are split into five genera in three subfamilies: the monotypic Ailuropodinae, the panda bears; Tremarctinae, the short-faced bears; and Ursinae, containing all other extant bears. Extinct species have also been placed into all three extant subfamilies, as well as three extinct ones: Agriotheriinae, Hemicyoninae, and Ursavinae. Over 100 extinct Ursidae species have been found, though due to ongoing research and discoveries the exact number and categorization is not fixed.

Conventions

IUCN Red List categories
Conservation status
 EX Extinct (0 species)
 EW Extinct in the wild (0 species)
 CR Critically Endangered (0 species)
 EN Endangered (0 species)
 VU Vulnerable (6 species)
 NT Near threatened (0 species)
 LC Least concern (2 species)

Conservation status codes listed follow the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Ranges are based on the IUCN Red List for that species unless otherwise noted. All extinct species or subspecies listed alongside extant species went extinct after 1500 CE, and are indicated by a dagger symbol "". Population figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.

Classification

The family Ursidae consists of eight extant species belonging to five genera in three subfamilies and divided into dozens of extant subspecies. This does not include ursid hybrid species such as grizzly–polar bear hybrids or extinct prehistoric species.

Ursidae
Ursinae

Ursus (American black bear / Asian black bear / brown bear / polar bear)

Helarctos (sun bear)

Melursus (sloth bear)

Tremarctinae

Tremarctos (spectacled bear)

Ailuropodinae

Ailuropoda (giant panda)

Ursids

The following classification is based on the taxonomy described by Mammal Species of the World (2005), with augmentation by generally accepted proposals made since using molecular phylogenetic analysis; this includes the division of the giant panda into two subspecies. There are several additional proposals which are disputed, such as reclassifying the subspecies of the brown bear into a smaller set of clades,[2][3] which are not included here.

Subfamily Ailuropodinae

Genus AiluropodaH. Milne-Edwards, 1870 – one species
Common name Scientific name and subspecies Range Size and ecology IUCN status and estimated population
Giant panda

Black and white bear on ground

A. melanoleuca
(David, 1869)

Two subspecies
Central China
Map of range
Size: 150–180 cm (59–71 in) long, plus 10–15 cm (4–6 in) tail
80–123 kg (176–271 lb)[4][5]

Habitat: Forest[6]

Diet: Eats only bamboo[6]
 VU 


500–1,000 Population increasing[6]

Subfamily Tremarctinae

Genus TremarctosGervais, 1855 – one species
Common name Scientific name and subspecies Range Size and ecology IUCN status and estimated population
Spectacled bear

Black bear with brown face on rock

T. ornatus
(F. Cuvier, 1825)
Andes mountains in South America
Map of range
Size: 120–200 cm (47–79 in) long, plus 7 cm (3 in) tail
60–175 kg (132–386 lb)[7]

Habitat: Shrubland, grassland, and forest[8]

Diet: Primarily eats bromeliads and palm trees, as well as cattle, other mammals, and fruit[8]
 VU 


2,500–10,000 Population declining[8]

Subfamily Ursinae

Genus HelarctosHorsfield, 1825 – one species
Common name Scientific name and subspecies Range Size and ecology IUCN status and estimated population
Sun bear

Black bear with brown face and orange marking on chest on rock

H. malayanus
(Raffles, 1821)

Two subspecies
  • H. m. euryspilus (Bornean sun bear)
  • H. m. malayanus (Malayan sun bear)
Southeast Asia (current range in brown, former in black)
Map of range
Size: 120–150 cm (47–59 in) long, plus 3–7 cm (1–3 in) tail
35–80 kg (77–176 lb)[9][10]

Habitat: Forest and shrubland[11]

Diet: Primarily eats termites, ants, beetle larvae, bee larvae, honey, and fruit[11]
 VU 


50,000[12] Population declining[11]

Genus MelursusMeyer, 1793 – one species
Common name Scientific name and subspecies Range Size and ecology IUCN status and estimated population
Sloth bear

Black bear with gray face on rock

M. ursinus
(Shaw, 1791)

Two subspecies
India (current range in green, former in black)
Map of range
Size: 150–180 cm (59–71 in) long, plus 7–12 cm (3–5 in) tail
54–141 kg (119–311 lb)[13]

Habitat: Shrubland, grassland, forest, and savanna[14]

Diet: Primarily eats termites and fruit[14]
 VU 


6,000–20,000[14][15] Population declining[14]

Genus UrsusLinnaeus, 1758 – four species
Common name Scientific name and subspecies Range Size and ecology IUCN status and estimated population
American black bear

Black bear in grass

U. americanus
Pallas, 1780

Sixteen subspecies
  • U. a. altifrontalis (Olympic black bear)
  • U. a. amblyceps (New Mexico black bear)
  • U. a. americanus (Eastern black bear)
  • U. a. californiensis (California black bear)
  • U. a. carlottae (Haida Gwaii black bear)
  • U. a. cinnamomum (Cinnamon bear)
  • U. a. emmonsii (Glacier bear)
  • U. a. eremicus (East Mexican black bear)
  • U. a. floridanus (Florida black bear)
  • U. a. hamiltoni (Newfoundland black bear)
  • U. a. kermodei (Kermode bear)
  • U. a. luteolus (Louisiana black bear)
  • U. a. machetes (West Mexican black bear)
  • U. a. perniger (Kenai black bear)
  • U. a. pugnax (Dall Island black bear)
  • U. a. vancouveri (Vancouver Island black bear)
North America (current range in red, former in pink)
Map of range
Size: 120–200 cm (47–79 in) long, plus 8–14 cm (3–6 in) tail
39–409 kg (86–902 lb)[16]

Habitat: Forest, inland wetlands, grassland, shrubland, and desert[17]

Diet: Omnivorous; eats vegetation, roots, buds, fruit, nuts, insects, fish, mammals, and carrion[17]
 LC 


735,000–941,000[18] Population increasing[17]

Asian black bear

Black bear with white chest marking on grass

U. thibetanus
Cuvier, 1823

Seven subspecies
South and East Asia (current range in brown, former in black)
Map of range
Size: 120–180 cm (47–71 in) long, plus 6–11 cm (2–4 in) tail
65–150 kg (143–331 lb)[19]

Habitat: Forest, inland wetlands, grassland, and shrubland[20]

Diet: Eats vegetation, insects, fruit, nuts, ungulates, and livestock[20]
 VU 


50,000[12] Population declining[20]

Brown bear

Brown bear in river

U. arctos
Linnaeus, 1758

Sixteen subspecies
Northern North America and Europe, and northern and central Asia
Map of range
Size: 100–280 cm (39–110 in) long, plus 6–20 cm (2–8 in) tail
80–550 kg (176–1,213 lb)[21]

Habitat: Desert, forest, inland wetlands, grassland, and shrubland[22]

Diet: Omnivorous; eats grasses, herbs, roots, berries, nuts, insects, mammals, and fish[22]
 LC 


110,000 Population steady[22]

Polar bear

White bear on snow

U. maritimus
Mulgrave, 1774
Polar North America and Asia
Map of range
Size: 220–244 cm (87–96 in) long, plus 7–13 cm (3–5 in) tail
408–726 kg (900–1,600 lb)[23]

Habitat: Marine oceanic, shrubland, forest, grassland, marine coastal/supratidal, and marine intertidal[24]

Diet: Primarily eats seals, as well as walruses, beluga whales, birds, fish, vegetation and kelp[24]
 VU 


23,000[25] Unknown[24]

See also

References

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  2. Calvignac, S.; Hughes, S.; Tougard, C.; Michaux, J.; Thevenot, M.; Philippe, M.; Hamdine, W.; Hanni, C. (2008). "Ancient DNA evidence for the loss of a highly divergent brown bear clade during historical times" (PDF). Molecular Ecology. 17 (8): 1962–1970. doi:10.1111/j.1365-294x.2008.03631.x. PMID 18363668. S2CID 23361337.
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  8. 1 2 3 Velez-Liendo, X.; García-Rangel, S. (2018) [errata version of 2017 assessment]. "Tremarctos ornatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T22066A45034047. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T22066A45034047.en.
  9. "Malayan sun bear (Helarctos malayanus)". ARKive. Wildscreen. Archived from the original on December 21, 2014. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
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  12. 1 2 Dickson, B. (November 5, 2013). Endangered Species Threatened Convention. Routledge. p. 82. ISBN 978-1-134-19434-6.
  13. "Sloth Bear". The Photo Ark. National Geographic. 12 March 2010. Archived from the original on March 11, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
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  15. Ramesh, T.; Kalle, R.; Sankar, K.; Qureshi, Q. (2012). "Factors affecting habitat patch use by sloth bears in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Western Ghats, India". Ursus. 23 (1): 78–85. doi:10.2192/URSUS-D-11-00006.1. JSTOR 41818973. S2CID 86410436.
  16. Dewey, Tanya; Kronk, Christine (2007). "Ursus americanus". Animal Diversity Web. University of Michigan. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  17. 1 2 3 Garshelis, D. L.; Scheick, B. K.; Doan-Crider, D. L.; Beecham, J. J.; Obbard, M. E. (2017) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Ursus americanus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T41687A45034604. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T41687A45034604.en.
  18. "Black Bear Study Finds Growing Populations, But Combating Illegal Trade Remains a Challenge". WWF News and Reports. World Wide Fund for Nature. April 30, 2002. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
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  21. "Brown Bear (Ursus arctos) Fact Sheet: Physical Characteristics". San Diego Zoo Global Library. San Diego Zoo. October 15, 2019. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
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