Bears

Bears (family Ursidae) comprise 8 living species distributed across North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. The brown bear is the largest terrestrial carnivore in many ecosystems; the polar bear is the apex predator of the Arctic. The sun bear (the smallest) climbs trees with remarkable agility; the spectacled bear of South America inspired Paddington Bear. Brown bears in Alaska's Katmai National Park catch salmon mid-leap at Brooks Falls — a spectacular display of opportunistic predation. Grizzly bears (North American brown bears) can sprint at 56 km/h and bench press several hundred kilograms. Bears hybridize easily across species — grizzly-polar bear hybrids ('pizzly' or 'grolar' bears) are increasingly documented as climate change expands grizzly range into former polar bear territory.