​Bear Study And Observation at the Zoo

Have you ever wonder why Zoos all over the world always a hit for the families? Well, it’s simply because it’s not only entertaining but very educational as well. Kids love to learn, and the very first thing they wanna be close with are our animal pets at home. I love those social network videos circulating about dogs and cats at home cuddling the babies, they are so lovable! Almost everywhere in the world, there is access to the zoo. In Northern Florida, where I live, aside from going at the huge amusement parks and attractions, one of our favorite go-to places is zoos, museums, and parks for a nature walk. The nearest zoo to us and by far our daughter’s favorite is Gulf Breeze Zoo. They have a wide array of animal species. From the smallest bird to the tallest giraffes. Today, I want to share our bits of learning about the bear. At first, my daughter thought that bear can be cuddled and bring home as a pet! But when she saw it closely at the zoo, she was amazed by how big a black bear is. This is a perfect visual representation chart to give visitors an idea of a size of each type of bear. Polar Bear can grow up to nine feet tall and a honey sun bear just as tall as my three-year-old daughter.

BEAR SPECIES

• North American Black Bear– is the most common bear in North America. Although we call it “black bear” they can be brown, cinnamon, blonde, white or bluish gray but black and brown are a common phase. The white bear is rarer and can be found in British Columbia, Canada.
• Polar Bear- Among the largest bear in the world and can weigh up to 1400 pounds. They live in the arctic land or polar regions of Earth. They are carnivorous and are really good at catching their food-salmon
• Giant Panda- Is an endangered and extremely rare panda. They live in China and eat 99% bamboo. These species are classified by science as a member of the raccoon family but in a recent study, shows that Panda belongs to bear family or Ursidae and not considered as a marsupial. Why? Marsupials carry their babies in a pouch while panda doesn’t have a pouch on their belly.
• Brown Bear- Also called grizzly bear or scientist better call them North American brown bear. They originally came from Eurasia 50,000 years ago. They are most common in Alaska.
• Asiatic or Himalayan Black Bear- Are the more carnivorous type of bear that mainly eats small mammals, birds, fish, mollusks and carcasses.
• Sloth Bear- This bear has a long shaggy black hair and has a white U or Y shaped markings on their chest.
• Spectacled Bear- Scientist also called them as Andean bears because they are found in the Andes mountains in South America. This bear is endangered and is the last remaining short-faced bear.
• Sun Bear- They are the smallest species of the bear family with a body length of 120 to 150cm. They have flexible snouts and a long toungue.

 

Photo credit to Wikipedia-Bear

 

FUN FACTS ABOUT BEAR

• Bears sleep during winter but they do not really hibernate. They hunt for food during warm winter days.
• Bears are experts climbers. They have a very sharp claws. Bear cubs learn to climb even at an early stage.
• Bear cubs stay with their mother for about two years.
• They have an excellent sense of smell. Bears can locate carcasses from several kilometers away. They also use smell for sending a signal to each other as a sort of communication.
• Using that strong sense of smell, they also have an excellent memories which helps them to relocate the places where they have found food before. So clever!
• Bears have a simple digestive system. They must spend much of their time feeding in order to gain enough nutrition from foliage.
• Polar bears are the best swimmers of all bears. The thick fur and heavy layer of fat protect them from extreme cold and of icy waters of the Arctic Ocean.

Here’s the American Black Bear just woke up from a quick nap! Audrey getting up close with the black bear

The best encounter she had with the black bear. References: Bear with Us Gulf Breeze Zoo Bear Wikipedia Bears