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Bear. The name of several large plantigrade carnivorous mammals of the family Ursidae. The teeth are forty-two in number, as in the dog, but there is no carnassial or sectorial tooth, and the molars have a more tubercular character than in other carnivora. The head is broad and massive, the nose prominent and mobile, and the tail very short. In temperate regions bears are unable to procure food in winter, and therefore hibernate or pass that season in a dormant condition. The European brown bear is a native of almost all the northern parts of Europe and Asia, and was at one time common in the British islands. It feeds on fruits roots, honey, ants, and, in case of need on mammals. It sometimes reaches the length of seven feet, the largest specimens being found farthest to the north. It lives solitarily. In North America seventeen species of bear are known. The American black bear is the Ursus americanus, with black shining hair, and rarely above five feet in length. It is a great climber, is less dangerous than the brown bear. It is very amusing in captivity. The grizzly bear (Ursus horribilis) is an inhabitant of the Rocky mountams; It is a ferocious animal, sometimes nine feet in length, and has a bulky and unwieldy form, but is nevertheless capable of great rapidity of motion., The extinct cave bear of ancient Europe (Ursus spellaeus) seems to have been closely akin to the grizzly. The polar or white pear (Thalarctos maritimus) is characterized by its flat head and comparatively long neck. It inhabits the shores and ice packs of the Arctic ocean.

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