Random Facts- Cool facts to Impress Your Family Book 1

Facts-Bears

The largest mammalian carnivore that ever lived on land was the giant short-faced bear. Twice the size of the biggest modern bear, it was 6' 5" tall at the shoulder when standing on all fours. Scientists believe it had very long legs and chased antelope on the North American prairies. It died around 12,000 years ago.

The sloth bear has the shaggiest fur. The sun bear has the shortest fur so it can keep cool in the hot forests of Southeast Asia.

The most accurate way to determine the age of a bear is to count the rings in a cross section of its tooth root under a microscope.

Bears have two layers of fur. A short layer of fur keeps the bear warm. And a long layer keeps water away from the skin and short fur.

bBears are highly intelligent animals.

Bears are very smart and have been known to roll rocks into bear traps to set off the trap and eat the bait in safety.

Bears live as long as 30 years in the wild. One captive brown bear lived to the age of 47.d

Bears are bowlegged. This gives them better grip and balance.d

Only the polar bear is a true carnivore. All other bears are omnivores, or animals that eat both plants and meat.b

Sun bears have the longest claws of any bear. They also have the longest tongues, which can reach 9.8" long.

Bears can run up to 40 miles per hour, fast enough to catch a running horse. The fastest known human alive today is Usain Bolt, who can run 27mph.

The shape of a bear's claw differs according to the type of bear. Bears that climb, such as black bears, have claws that are curved and strong to allow them to claw at tree bark. Bears that dig, such as grizzly bears, have straight and long claws.

Koala bears are not bears at all and are not related to the bear family. They are marsupials.

A bear's normal heartbeat is 40 beats per minute. A hibernating bear's heart rate drops to 8 bpm.

Because bears can walk short distances on their hind legs, some Native Americans called them "the beast that walks like a man."

The bear that a person living in North America is most likely to run into is the black bear. They live in wooded areas in every Canadian province, many U.S. states, and parts of Mexico.

Black bears are not always black. They come in a rainbow of colors from black to reddish brown (cinnamon bears) to light brown to white.

Bears can see colours roughly as well as humans

Unlike many mammals, bears can see in color.

The world's most widely distributed bear is the brown bear. However, the American black bear is the world's most common bear species.

When bears mate, the eggs within the female's body are fertilized but do not implant in her uterus and begin developing for several months.

A swimming polar bear can jump 8 ft. (2.4 m) out of the water to surprise a seal.

A polar bear's stomach can hold 150 lbs. (68 kg) of meat.

Panda bears have an extra "thumb" (which is actually an extra-large wrist bone) just for holding onto bamboo stalks. A panda bear can eat over 45 lbs. (20.4 kg) of bamboo per day.

The giant panda has a large head for its body. Scientists believe this is because it needs a strong jaw and neck muscles to eat bamboo, which makes up 99% of its diet. The remaining 1% consists of insects on the bamboo and dead meat that the panda may find.

Sloth bears' favorite food is termites. These bears have no front teeth, so they easily suck out insects from their nests like a vacuum cleaner. They can also seal their nostrils for better suction.

Bears have been known to eat almost anything, including snowmobile seats, engine oil, and rubber boots.