The Bear Facts Bears are large heavy mammals belonging to the family Ursidae . They are found largely in northern temperate regions and are widely distributed in North America, Europe, and Asia. Bears have a shaggy coat and a short tail and walk flat on the soles of their broad feet. They normally have a short, thick neck, a rounded head, pointed muzzle, short ears, and small eyes. They can stand erect and have powerful limbs and long, curved claws.
Bears have poor eyesight, and most have only fair hearing.
Their sense of smell, however, is extremely keen. Bears are closely related to the dog and the raccoon and are the most recently evolved of the carnivores. The diet of bears generally is varied and flexible. Most species are especially fond of ants and honey. Bears also eat bees, seeds, roots, nuts, berries, and insect larvae.