World map of the bear population
Bears are carnivorous mammals of the Ursidae family. They are classified as caniforms or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are existent, they are widespread, living in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern Hemisphere and partially in the Southern Hemisphere. This species has been preserved on all continents except Africa, Australia, and Antarctica.
Below is the world map of a geographic range of the 8 bear species.
Bear species differ significantly in their diet. Polar bears are mostly carnivorous, and giant pandas feed almost exclusively on bamboo, but the remaining 6 species are omnivorous. Generally, bears live alone, except when they court and when they are caring for their young. Although they have heavy builds and awkward gaits, they are adept runners, climbers, and swimmers.
According to the IUCN, six bear species are vulnerable or endangered, and even the least concern species, such as the brown bear, are threatened with extinction.
Here is the map of the bear population.
The brown bear (Ursus arctos) is a large bear species that lives in Eurasia and North America. North American brown bear populations are called grizzly bears, while the Kodiak bear subspecies inhabits the Kodiak Islands of Alaska.
In Eurasia, the bear lives in parts of Europe (Finland, the Balkans, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Scandinavia, Romania, the Caucasus), Central Asia, the Himalayas, China, Hokkaido, Scandinavia, Iran, and Anatolia.
Brown bears are still classified by the IUCN as a species of least concern, despite a reduction in their range and local extinction in some areas.
The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is a hyper-carnivorous bear species. Its native range lies largely within the Arctic Circle, surrounding the Arctic Ocean and its circling seas and landmasses, which include the northernmost regions of Eurasia and North America. It is the largest extant species of a bear as well as the largest extant land carnivore. An adult male weighs about 350–700 kilograms or 770–1,540 pounds, while a sow (adult female) is about half that size. Although the brown bear is its sister species, the polar bear occupies a narrower ecological niche thanks to adapted body characteristics that allow it to move across snow, ice, and open water, and for hunting seals, which make up the majority of its diet. Their scientific name means “maritime bear” and derives from this fact.
The Asian black bear (Ursus thibetanus) is native to Asia and is referred to as the Asiatic black bear, moon bear, or white-chested bear. This species of bear is medium-sized and is well-adapted to living in trees. It can be found in southeastern Iran, the Himalayas, the northern parts of the Indian subcontinent, China, Taiwan, the Korean Peninsula, the Russian Far East, and the islands of Honshū and Shikoku in Japan.
The American black bear (Ursus americanus) is a species of medium-sized bear endemic to North America. It is the continent’s smallest and most widely distributed bear species. Depending on where it is and what season it is, the American black bear’s diet can vary a great deal, as it is an omnivore. It generally inhabits in forested territories.
The sun bear (Helarctos malayanus) is the smallest bear, standing nearly 70 cm or 28 inches at the shoulder and weighing 25–65 kilograms (55–143 pounds). This species of bear get its name from the cream-colored chest patch.
The range of the sun bear is bound by northeastern India to the north and stretches south to southeast through Bangladesh, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam in mainland Asia to Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia to the south.
The sloth bear (Melursus ursinus) or Indian bear is a bear species native to the Indian subcontinent that feeds on fruits, ants, and termites. The bear shares features of insectivorous mammals.
The spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus) is also known as the Andean bear or the South American bear. It is the only habitation species of bear native to South America. This spectacled bear is the closest relative to the giant panda.
The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is a species of bear endemic to China. Though it belongs to the order Carnivora, the giant panda is a folivore, with bamboo shoots and leaves making up more than 99% of its diet.
According to the IUCN report, are approximately 1,590 individuals of giant panda species living in the wild.
