BEAR TAXONOMY
There are eight species of bears. For information on each species, click on the bears below.
Cool fact: Although all eight species are in the order Carnivora and family Ursidae, only the four species of bears of the North all share the same genus Ursus. Each of the four species of bears of the South have different genera.
BEARS OF THE NORTH
American Black Bear (Ursus americanus)
Asiatic Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus)
photo by Tom Mangelsen
BEARS OF THE SOUTH
Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)
Spectacled Bear (Tremarctos ornatus)
Sun Bear (Helarctos malayanus)
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