/r/bears

Photograph via snooOG

This is the home to all eight species of bears - American Black Bears, Brown Bears, Polar Bears, Asiatic Black (Moon) Bears, Sun Bears, Sloth Bears, Giant Pandas, and Spectacled (Andean) Bears.

"Bears are made of the same dust as we, and breathe the same winds and drink of the same waters. A bear's days are warmed by the same sun, his dwellings are overdomed by the same blue sky, and his life turns and ebbs with heart-pulsings like ours, and was poured from the same First Fountain. And whether he at last goes to our stingy heaven or no, he has terrestrial immortality. His life not long, not short, knows no beginning, no ending."

~ John Muir


What kind of bear is best?

This is the home to all eight species of bears - American Black Bears, Brown Bears, Polar Bears, Asiatic Black (Moon) Bears, Sun Bears, Sloth Bears, Giant Pandas, and Spectacled (Andean) Bears.


Read our Community Rules!

Be excellent to one another, be respectful, be kind, be one with the bears.


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Information

Useful Resources


Did You Know?

Six species of bears are classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List, even the least concern species, Brown Bears, are at risk of extirpation in some countries.

Find out how you can help!


Some Bear Videos


Bear Subreddits

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/r/bears

52,455 Subscribers

33

Top 5 largest extinct bears

  1. Cave bear (Ursus splaeus)

A bulky herbivorous bear that lived in Europe up until 10k years ago. Weighed up to 1000 KG, 2200 lbs.

  1. Steppe brown bear (Ursus arctos priscus)

The largest brown bear subspecies that ever lived. Weighed up to 1000 KG, 2200 lbs.

  1. Short faced bear (Arctodus Simus)

A humongous bear that lived in North America that weighed up to 2500 lbs and stood up to 13 feet tall on 2 legs. It allegedly prevented people from crossing the Bering land bridge.

  1. King Polar Bear (Ursus arctos tyrannus)

An extinct subspecies of the extant species "polar bear". Went extinct something like 70,000 years ago. Weighed up to 2800 lbs.

  1. South American Giant Short Faced Bear (Arctotherium Angustidens)

A huge mofo that lived in South America, maxing out at nearly 2 tons. The bane of all our nightmares!

4 Comments
2024/12/03
20:14 UTC

125

It's Giving Tuesday 2024! Let's help some bears in need and support the organizations that care for them! (Brown bear photo by Peter Yuen)

6 Comments
2024/12/03
07:29 UTC

291

A Beary good meal that momma isn't willing to share

I've had a lot of issues with my upstairs neighbors and their lack of bear-awareness, despite ongoing attempts to educate them. This time (aside from my candid reaction that you can hear when I open the blinds and realize I'm standing 6ft and 1 glass window apart from the momma) I had to laugh at how perfectly the meal in the take-out container rolled out 😅 Momma bear was not willing to share such a perfect meal.

I should also mention, there were 2 bear locks on the top of that bin, she literally swiped them open effortlessly.

33 Comments
2024/11/30
23:39 UTC

289

Hide-and-seek with sloth bear Paji!

7 Comments
2024/11/30
14:30 UTC

104

Someone wanted a Thanksgiving meal 🦃

5 Comments
2024/11/29
03:18 UTC

462

The Boss famous Grizzly from Banff

13 Comments
2024/11/29
01:24 UTC

190

Side view of a grizzly at McNeil River

4 Comments
2024/11/28
18:54 UTC

46

Bear in a tree eating the last of the berries

3 Comments
2024/11/28
01:55 UTC

21

if it’s brown lay down?

Hi! i’ve known about the if it’s brown lay down, if it’s black fight back, if it’s white good night thing and I’ve been wondering if there was ever a chance to escape a bear?

Like, imagine I encounter a brown bear in the woods and i pretend to be dead. The bear gets close, realises i’m faking it and by then it’s so close to me i can’t run and it eats me. Wouldn’t it make more sense for me to not let it get close if i can spot it in time and just back up?

Now imagine I encounter a black bear. If i fight back and I somehow piss it off enough that it decides to eat me, I’m cooked. If I had ran away in time, would it even chase me?

Ik there are practically 0 survival chances with white bears so I’m not even considering it.

My question is, if I were to actually have a chance at getting away from a bear would it be better to try and run away or just play dead/scare it? If i did start running how many chances are there that the bear will gaf about me and chase me down or will it leave me alone?

Please don’t be rude I know I’d stand no chance when it comes to running away from a bear but my question is more hypothetical regarding the rhyme thing.

44 Comments
2024/11/27
13:50 UTC

241

Mum and cub at Lake Crescent, Lake Clark National Park, Alaska

4 Comments
2024/11/26
11:52 UTC

321

Apologies in advance for the shakiness and dirty camera lens, but I hope you all will enjoy this anyway

13 Comments
2024/11/23
11:25 UTC

232

Question

Why this black bear's ears pointed like that?

20 Comments
2024/11/19
18:26 UTC

101

Do bears have 4 legs or two arms and two legs?

I can’t find an official answer thank you

22 Comments
2024/11/17
01:09 UTC

477

Ussuri brown bear giving a hi!

10 Comments
2024/11/15
17:35 UTC

76

what does it mean when a black bear "laughs"

we have had a pair of black bears behind my apartment stealing garbage all night, and heard one of them making an almost laughing noise, but he was behind the dumpster so...not 100% sure what they were doing, I assume it could be...ahem noises, or a threat call.

Also jokingly starting to wonder if they are people in costumes, saw one of them just casually push the dumpster lid like a person.

25 Comments
2024/11/14
06:49 UTC

496

Is it really that dangerous to hug a baby bear? (excluding the mother) I'm curious as I can't see how a small thing like this would be a threat to a grown human.

79 Comments
2024/11/07
05:11 UTC

544

Fat bear doing fat bear things

Taylor Creek 11/5. Its feeding time

16 Comments
2024/11/06
03:19 UTC

311

bear_irl

7 Comments
2024/11/04
17:24 UTC

649

Ussuri brown bear having a nice snooze

19 Comments
2024/11/03
12:01 UTC

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