Bears are large mammals. Bears are mammals because they are covered in hair, they have a spine, they’re warm-blooded and they feed milk to their babies once they are born. Some bears are only aggressive when they need to protect themselves or there young cubs.  They are smart, shy and are great at hiding when they need to. Bears come in many different colors, shapes, and sizes and they live all over the world, except in Antarctica and Australia.Most bears live up to 25 years of age.  

There are eight different species of bears.  They are Asiatic, Black, Brown, Polar, Panda, Sloth, Spectacled and Sun. When a bear 'hibernates' it is really in a deep sleep.  It's body temperature drops but not drastically and it does not wake up, they don’t even go to the bathroom or get some food. After hibernation they are expected to give birth to cubs around January and February. 

Most bears eat fish like salmon and polar bears eat some of the seals in the arctic.  Insects, nuts, berries, sap, branches and roots are a big part of a bear’s diet. A Panda's diet is usually only bamboo. “As bears get ready for hibernation, they need to bulk up, and will eat double the amount of food that they normally need.  If a female bear isn’t fat enough, she will not be able to give birth to any cubs.” 

Female bears are ready to mate between the ages of 3 and 8 years. A female bear that is underweight will not be able to give birth to some cubs. Male bears follow the female at a distance for awhile until she feels safe and allows him to get closer. After bears mated, the male will leave and may never see the female and cubs again. Most bears give birth 9 months later depending on the breed. When cubs are born they don’t have any teeth and no hearing. Bears will carry there cubs by the head besides sloths. “Pandas, Asiatic and Brown bears have a cool internal thing called “delayed implantation”  which allows the female to hold off fertilization of the egg until a later date and time the birth of her cubs to happen during hibernation where they will be born in a safe and warm place.”