Scientists may call them ursids, but most people simply refer to them as bears, sometimes nicknaming them bruins. . . . . The family Ursidae includes eight living species. Together they have inspired such legends as Smokey Bear, the teddy bear, and the panda bear. But bears are most celebrated for their great strength and unpredictable ways and for their wilderness homes, ranging from the frozen Arctic Ocean to the frontier Great Plains to lush tropical forests.
People are wise to be treat bears with caution.