Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
21
Three Minus Goldilocks: Black, Brown, and Polar Bears
MYTHS
Bears in national parks and similar places are tame and safe to feed or pet.
Bears eat mostly meat.
Bears can't run fast uphill, so a person can escape a bear by running up a steep incline.
Most bears den in caves.
Hibernating bears sleep so soundly that they don't even awaken when their cubs are born.
Black bears hoot, almost like an owl.
Bears often attack people.
All bears are good tree climbers.
Alaska brown bears are easily the world's largest bears.
Polar bears are white.
BEARS ARE FASCINATING CREATURES. Although they don't arouse the hatred and fear en-
gendered by the wolf—after all, the bears in the story of Goldilocks meant well, even if they frightened
the little girl—they're often misunderstood and widely underappreciated. They're the largest of all ter-
restrial predators, immensely powerful and, when they choose to be, very fast for short distances.
Our three North American bears are related quite closely, and share many anatomical features and
traits, but they also display surprising diversity in a number of ways, such as size, temperament, diet,
and habitat.
