A Bear of a Quiz

Answer: Giant panda

The fur of a giant panda is a rather distinct mix of white sections and black sections. When necessary, a panda will supplement its bamboo diet with other foods. The People's Republic of China controls the access of zoos in other nations to pandas. They are essentially rented for a term of years under very strict terms, rather than given to the zoos.

Answer: American black bear

This species can be found through a large part of North America. This bear is an excellent swimmer and uses its agility in water to catch fish. The cinnamon bear is found in the United States west of the Rocky Mountains and the glacier bear is found in Alaska.

Answer: Cave bear

This bear would be among the largest bears if it still existed today. Jaws of cave bears have very worn teeth, suggesting a diet of tough foods, thought to be largely herbivorous. Life for these bears was difficult, with evidence suggesting that a significant number died during periods of hibernation.

Answer: Polar bear

Polar bears can be found throughout the Arctic Ocean area. Polar bears are considered to be marine mammals because they spend so much time on or near sea ice. Seals are their preferred food, though polar bears are sometimes forced to live off their fat deposits when conditions are not right for hunting.

Answer: Sloth bear

In some cases, sloth bears have been tamed enough by humans to learn performing tricks. They can run faster than humans and are good climbers and swimmers. Sloth bears are particularly skilled at hunting termites and supplement this diet with various fruits and plants.

Answer: Brown bear

The brown bear can be found in parts of North America, Europe, and Asia. The Californian subspecies is considered extinct and the Himalayan and Marsican subspecies are much reduced in number compared to the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The omnivorous diet of the brown bear includes only a minority (10% or so) of animal life.

Answer: Sun bear

This bear is found largely in Southeast Asia. The sun bear is sometimes called the honey bear, reflecting its love of honey and honeycomb. The bear uses its extremely large tongue to access both honey and insects. Living in tropical areas, these bears usually do not hibernate.

Answer: Short-faced bear

This species was closely related to Arctorus simus, one of the largest terrestrial mammal carnivores ever. The short-faced bear existed from about 1.8 million years ago to about 11,000 years ago. Many scientists believe this bear had a largely carnivorous diet.

Answer: Spectacled bear

With an exception of a few bears in Panama, this species is found only in the Andes Mountains in the wild. The spectacled bear gets its name from the light-colored fur on its face that resembles eyeglasses. This species also spends a significant amount of time in trees and has one of the most herbivorous diets of any bear species.

Answer: Asian black bear

Asian black bears are found in the southern and eastern parts of that continent. About half of an average one's life is spent in trees. They are fairly omnivorous and generally follow a pattern of feasting when food is plentiful and hibernating when it is not.