Ep.98: Bears – 8 Species

August 13, 2023 Peter Jans

Intro

Hello and Welcome to this episode of the podcast, "The Mnemonic Tree", where we add a single mnemonic leaf to our Tree of Knowledge.

Today's episode is on the cute, fluffy and loveable Bear; just as long as you’re at distance! Found on the continents of North America, South America, Europe and Asia Bears are a keystone species critical to the ecosystem. There are eight species and their diet varies from carnivore, herbivore to omnivorous.

Our love of bears has extended into cartoons with some of the more popular and well-known bears being Winnie-the-Pooh, Yogi Bear, Baloo, Fozzie Bear, Boo Boo, Paddington Bear and Smokey Bear which is just to name a few. Along with this, they are also our most popular stuffed animal with Winnie-the-Pooh taking out the title for the most famous stuffed bear.

But getting back to the real bears, they say if you run into a bear out in the wild the rhyme goes “If it’s black fight back, if it’s brown lay down and if it’s white good night”.

So, with that health & safety message out of the way, we will begin with a summary from Wikipedia.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ursidae-01.jpg

Wikipedia Summary

Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae (/ˈɜːrsɪdiː, -daɪ/). They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout most of the Northern Hemisphere and partially in the Southern Hemisphere. Bears are found on the continents of North America, South America, and Eurasia. Common characteristics of modern bears include large bodies with stocky legs, long snouts, small rounded ears, shaggy hair, plantigrade paws with five nonretractile claws, and short tails.

While the polar bear is mostly carnivorous, and the giant panda is mostly herbivorous, the remaining six species are omnivorous with varying diets. With the exception of courting individuals and mothers with their young, bears are typically solitary animals. They may be diurnal or nocturnal and have an excellent sense of smell. Despite their heavy build and awkward gait, they are adept runners, climbers, and swimmers. Bears use shelters, such as caves and logs, as their dens; most species occupy their dens during the winter for a long period of hibernation, up to 100 days.

Bears have been hunted since prehistoric times for their meat and fur; they have been used for bear-baiting and other forms of entertainment, such as being made to dance. With their powerful physical presence, they play a prominent role in the arts, mythology, and other cultural aspects of various human societies. In modern times, bears have come under pressure through encroachment on their habitats and illegal trade in bear parts, including the Asian bile bear market. The IUCN lists six bear species as vulnerable or endangered, and even least concern species, such as the brown bear, are at risk of extirpation in certain countries. The poaching and international trade of these most threatened populations are prohibited, but still ongoing.

Extracted from: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bear]

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Giant_Panda_2004-03-2.jpg

Mnemonic

Bears – 8 Species Mnemonic – Bear NAAPPSS

(Picture the well-known cartoon bear Yogi who has just eaten all the food from several picnic baskets of campers and as a result is lying back in his hammock taking a well-earned nap)

1. Brown Bear

2. North American Black Bear

3. Andean Bear

4. Asiatic Black Bear

5. Panda Bear

6. Polar Bear

7. Sloth Bear

8. Sun Bear

Five Fun Facts

1. An adult grizzly bear is nearly as fast as a greyhound reaching speeds up to 60 kms per hour.

2. As well as being fast they are also extremely powerful, having a biting force of over 1200 PSI which is enough to crush a bowling ball.

3. Bears generally have a lot of hair but the polar bear has a very unique two-layer system to enable its survival in its challenging environment. The first layer is a shorter coat which provides insulation from the weather, while the longer coat prevents water from reaching the short coat layer and skin.

4. The phrase “smarter than the average bear” actually applies to bears. That doesn’t quite make sense, but Bears have a high IQ and are among the most intelligent land animals, having been observed covering their tracks and hiding behind rocks and trees to avoid detection.

5. As the climate shifts, so does the habitat of bears, so much so in certain areas that different species are now sharing territory. With sharing territory comes cross-mating which has now led to hybrid bears that are called either “grolar” or pizzly” bears the mating result of a polar and grizzly bear.

6. Bonus Fact: The Chinese government owns nearly all the giant pandas on earth. Zoos will pay up to a million dollars just to rent one and if they are lucky enough to bear cubs, they then have to pay a one-time $400,000 baby tax.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:European_Brown_Bear.jpg

Three Question Quiz

Q.1. What is a group of bears called?

Q.2. Which bear is the largest?

Q.3. Where do most spectacled bears live? Options are the Andes, the Rockies or the ALPS

Bonus Q. Bears are from what family?

Bonus Q. How do bears catch Salmon?

Bonus Q. Why do pandas hold strong opinions?

Bonus Q. Do you know why there is only one Yogi Bear?

Mnemonic Recap