Bears are truly incredible creatures. They live on 5 of the seven continents, are enormous, and come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Bears are most concentrated in North America, and the two most common types of bears are the Polar Bear and the North American Brown Bear. Read on to see five unbelievable facts about these majestic creatures.

Bears are Fast!

Bears can run up to 40 mph. This is faster than the speediest human alive, and means a full grown bear can catch up to a horse. This was measured by grizzly bears that could cover 50 yards in under 3 seconds. Grizzly bears are the famous brown bears that most people, at least in North America, associate with Teddy Bears. This is why so many of the Teddy Bears we offer are some shade of brown.

Polar Bear Fur is Thick

Not only is polar bear fur thick, it actually has two layers. The first layer is regular, short haired fur. The outer layer is actually tiny tubes. These tubes help with insulation, and for keeping the bear warm. More incredibly, polar bears skin is black! This helps to absorb heat in the frigid arctic. The white color comes from their fur and the reflections of the snow and ice. Though these bears can be up to 1500 lbs, the stuffed polar bears we have are much more convenient as house pets.

Bears have a Great Sense of Smell

While the outer limits have not been fully tested, we know that bears have a sense of smell more than 100 times stronger than humans. They are even better sniffers than dogs! I guess that’s why they tell you to make sure you don’t leave food out at the campsite.

Fascinating Names

Male bears are known as boars, and female bears as sows. Alternately, male bears can be called he-bears and female bears she-bears. While bears are solitary creatures, they sometimes travel in groups, especially cubs with their mother. These groups are called sleuths or sloths.

One of Our President had a Love for Bears

Teddy Roosevelt has a historic place in bear lore. While on a hunting trip, he was summoned to kill a bear that was stranded in a tree. Seeing this as ungentlemanly, he refused. Word spread of this deed, and soon stuffed bears were made with the name “Teddy’s Bear.” Over time, this was shortened to simply Teddy Bear. Ever since, this has been one of the most popular stuffed animal for children, and Teddy Bears can be found in the room of almost every child. While this story is well known, few knew that Teddy Roosevelt also had a pet bear! This small bear was named Jonathan Edwards, and was one of a large menagerie that stayed with Roosevelt at the White House with his family. There were also badgers, birds, hyenas, and many more.

References

https://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/species/mammals/grizzly/close_encounters.pdf

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/bears-of-the-last-frontier-polar-bear-fact-sheet/7053/

https://www.bear.org/website/bear-pages/black-bear/basic-bear-facts/30-senses-a-abilities.html

https://www.nps.gov/thrb/learn/historyculture/the-roosevelt-pets.htm