Bears in nature, spirituality and myth or lore have astral qualities as well as strong earth connections. An apex predator and fierce protector, the bear is also intelligent, curious and playful. The Cave Bear, the European ancestor, dominates the lands until c. 24,000 BCE.
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In prehistoric North America, the short-faced bear (Arctodus simus) is the dominant species. One of the largest and most powerful predators of the world, A. simus weighs 900 kilograms and measures 2 m (6.6 ft) at the shoulder.
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In South America the spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus) or Andean bear is the last remaining member of the short-faced bear family. It's a descendent of the North American bear, traveling south as the land bridge of Central America emerges from the primeval sea.
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Fossils and historical data indicate bear species lived throughout the world, except in Antarctica and Australia. Large bears like the mainly vegetarian European Cave Bear, and the giant short-faced bears, go extinct in the late Pleistocene, c. 129,000 - c. 11,700 ya.
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The Bear Cult is one of the earliest and most widespread forms of animal worship. Archaeological evidence for European Cave Bear (Ursus spelaeus) goes back to the Paleolithic era. The Cave Bear disappears by c. 24,000 BCE.
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Largest bear populations world-wide are in Russia (130,000), US (32,500) and Canada (25,000). Romania has the most bears in Europe, c. 6000 individuals. There are no bears in Africa. They're last seen in 1870, wiped out in the Victorian craze of big game hunting.
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Eight major bear species exist in North and South America, Europe and Asia. Subspecies include the rare white Kermode or spirit bear of Canada and the endangered Syrian brown bear of the Middle East.
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The eight bear species are:
North American Black Bear - Ursus Americanus
Brown Bear - Ursus Arctos
Polar Bear - Ursus Maritimus
Asiatic black bear, Himalayan black bear, moon bear - Ursus thibetanus
Andean Bear or Spectacled Bear - Tremarctos ornatus
Panda Bear - Ailuropoda melanoleuca
Sloth bear - Melursus (Ursus) ursinus
Sun Bear - Ursus malayanus
The sun bear (Helarctos malayanus) is named for the golden crescent on its chest. The smallest of the bear species, it's also the most adapted to climbing trees. Sun bears live in tropical forests of SE Asia.
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The Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) and other bears have an irrepressible urge to chase fleeing creatures. This is why it's not wise to run if encountering a bear. Grizzlies can run up to 48 km/h (30 mph), uphill and downhill with equal agility.
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The bear is associated with the warrior spirit. King Arthur of England (c. 500 CE) is named for the bear (artos). The same root is in personal names world-wide. Artemis, the Greek goddess of the hunt, is often represented as a bear and her priestesses called "little bears".
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A bear might travel 20 - 40 mi/day (32 - 64 km/day) and loves to roam. Bear energy brings fortune to travelers and warriors. The Bear asserts dominance, confidence and charisma. The zodiac sign associated with the bear is Virgo.
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Bears have a strong desire to take things apart. Naturally curious, a bear might break up a dead tree to see what's inside. As omnivores they eat grubs, termites, ants and ant eggs and other insects found in dead trees.
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Destructive bear power infuses fighters such as Viking berserkers, who wear wolf or bear skins. Berserkers are warrior mercenaries. The name derives from Norse bjǫrn (bear) + serkr (shirt). They may use alcohol, fly agaric or henbane to incite killing frenzy.
The bear is an intelligent mammal who uses tools. such as rocks to break apart ground formations. Bears also love to rub rocks on their faces. This behavior is observed in wild and zoo bears. It may be because the bear releases heat in summer through the facial skin.
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Hibernation depends on various factors. Polar, sloth bears, spectacled and sun bears don't hibernate due to climate consistency. Moon bears may hibernate or seasonally migrate.
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Solitary male brown bears may not hibernate if open water and food sources are nearby. Part of the reason is territorial. If they sleep too long intruders might try to move in.
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Unless the weather's extreme many male bears enjoy being out in the elements. A bear digs a hollow in the snow. Recycled body heat and two specialized layers of fur keep the bear warm even in a blustering snowstorm. He also roams, to oversee his domain.
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Pregnant female bears hibernate, and female polar bears take to their dens if they've mated. Polar bears give birth Nov - Jan, brown bears closer to January and black bears up to mid-Feb. Mothers have 1 - 3 cubs, who remain with her for 2 - 3 years.
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Brown and black bear newborns are 227 g (8 oz) while polar bears are about 454 g (16 oz). Mother bear is awake for the birth. Brown bears doze off and on until April. At that time brown, black and polar bears, and cubs, emerge from their dens.
Moon bears hibernate Nov - March. When a bear hibernates, it does more than sleep. The kidneys become recycling centers for body fluids. All the bear's natural systems are rewired.
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Through hibernation the bear doesn't eat or drink. Before hibernating it consumes organic matter such as dry paw skin, which it licks off, clay or pebbles which make an internal fecal plug, thus the bear doesn't defecate.
Because of the sudden physical change, to wake a hibernating bear can be deadly - for the bear. Even in non-hibernation, bears need to arise in their own time. When they wake in the morning they tend to roll, stretch, yawn and go back to sleep.
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All bears love water and swimming. They play with each other or found objects such as sticks. A bear cleans itself by submerging to the chin and shaking its body underwater. Bears see well in water but, except polar bears, hate getting their ears wet.
Bear senses are sharp. Bears see well close up and at a distance. They swivel their ears to hear in all directions, and are attuned to sounds humans can't hear. A bear's sense of smell is c. 2100x that of a human.
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Giant Pandas, once thought unrelated, are back among the bear species. They live at high altitudes and their diet is almost exclusively bamboo shoots. The bear has biologically evolved to digest the heavy starches.
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Kermode bears live in northwest British Columbia, Canada, occupying coastal islands and rain forest environments. Kermodes are black, with the white "spirit bear" population at 100 - 500 individuals. They aren't albinos. The white color is due to a genetic mutation.
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A bear has excellent memory and can recall events or people from the distant past. Bears remember harm, and also kindness. Their sense of navigation is unerring and relocated bears can turn up years later in the same spot they were captured.
Bears can also hold grudges and are known to track humans who have hurt them. Other animals with grudge-holding behavior include elephants, dolphins, camels, tigers and Cape buffalo.
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Compared to body size the bear has a large brain and is among the most intelligent mammals. Bears can count to twelve, show self-awareness and use tools. They understand geometric concepts.
Even in similar environments, diets of bears vary. For many, salmon spawns are their only source of protein. Bears graze on shoots, grass, and eat grains, fruit, berries, cereals and nuts. They consume insects, meat and/or fish, and they love sweet honey.
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Fishing during salmon spawn is the only time normally territorial grizzly bears gather together. Mothers teach their cubs the valuable skills of catching salmon, fatty fish packed with protein and nutrients.
Bears also catch fish such as trout in shallow running streams at other times during the year. A grizzly bear needs a range up to 1300 sq km (500 sq mi). Black bears require 40 to 200 sq km (15 to 77 sq mi). Bears threatened by habitat loss include the sloth bear.
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Also called Indian bear, it's a shaggy, lanky bear who eats ants, termites and fruit. Sloth bears emerge during the Pleistocene through divergent evolution from a common brown bear ancestor. Bears in general have a common doglike ancestor in the Eocene Epoch.
A major Greek myth centers around the lovely nymph Callisto, a follower of goddess Artemis. Seduced by Zeus, she becomes pregnant. The entourage of Artemis throws her out, as she broke her vow of chastity. Callisto has a son.
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Hera, upset at Zeus's infidelity, turns Callisto into a bear. One day Callisto sees her son in the forest. Forgetting she's a bear she runs to him. Terrified, he nocks an arrow to kill her, but Zeus intervenes. He puts Callisto and her son into the sky as Ursa Major and Minor.
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