Bears - Facts for Kids

Brown bear walking through bright green summer meadow.

Did you know?

Search name of person, animal, place, thing, etc.

Share

Facts About Bears For Kids

Some bears live in cities and towns, learning to adapt (change) to human environments (places where people live)!

Bears can live at high altitudes (high up in mountains), even up to 14,000 feet in the mountains!

Bears often use the same den year after year if it’s in a good location (place)!

Bears create “day beds” — special resting spots where they take naps during the day!

Bears help maintain (keep) healthy forests by turning over soil while digging for food!

Diet & Hunting

Most bears are omnivores, which means they eat both plants and animals!

Giant pandas eat between 20 and 40 pounds (9–18 kg) of bamboo every day — that’s like eating 80 lunch boxes full of food!

Polar bears are the most carnivorous (meat-eating) of all bears, mainly eating seals!

Black bears can eat up to 20,000 calories (units of food energy) a day when preparing for winter — that’s like eating 40 large pizzas!

Bears can remember where they found food years ago and will return to good feeding spots!

Grizzly bears love eating berries and can eat thousands in a single day!

Bears use their long claws to dig for roots and insects in the ground!

Bears are very careful about what they eat and will smell their food thoroughly (very well) before eating it!

Bears can eat up to one-third of their body weight in a single day!

Bears can catch fish with their mouths or by using their paws like a scoop!

Bears love eating honey and will brave (face) bee stings to get to a beehive!

Bears can tell if food is ripe (ready to eat) by smell alone!

Bears sometimes store (save) food in trees for later, like squirrels do!

Bears can digest (break down in their stomach) frozen food because their stomach acid is so strong!

Bears help control insect populations (numbers of bugs) by eating lots of ants and grubs (baby insects)!

Life Cycle & Growth

Baby bears are called cubs and are born blind and hairless, about the size of a guinea pig!

Mother bears usually have 2–3 cubs at a time, but can sometimes have up to 6!

Bear cubs learn to climb trees when they’re just a few months old!

Baby bears stay with their mother for up to two and a half years, learning everything they need to know!

Bears grow very quickly — cubs can gain up to a pound of weight every day!

Female bears give birth during winter hibernation (winter sleep) while sleeping in their dens!

Bear cubs are born in January or February and emerge (come out) from the den in spring!

Bears reach adult size at about 6–8 years old!

Bear cubs begin walking when they’re about 5 weeks old!

Mother bears teach their cubs over 100 different types of foods to eat!

Bears grow new fur every year, getting ready for winter!

Bear cubs play wrestling matches to practice their strength and skills!

Bears can live three times longer in zoos than they do in the wild!

Baby bears learn to swim when they’re about 6 months old!

Mother bears make special sounds that only their cubs can recognize (know)!

Bears grow most of their adult teeth by the time they’re one year old!

Survival Skills

Bears hibernate (sleep through winter) to survive when food is hard to find!

During winter sleep, bears don’t eat, drink, or go to the bathroom for up to 7 months!

Bears can slow their heart rate down to just 8 beats per minute during hibernation (winter sleep), compared to about 40–90 bpm when awake — a true marvel of nature!!

Bears don’t lose much muscle during hibernation (winter sleep), unlike other hibernating animals!

Bears can swim up to 6 miles per hour (10 km/h) — that’s faster than many Olympic swimmers!

Bears have excellent balance and can walk along narrow logs and branches!

Bears can remember humans they’ve met and recognize (know) people years later!

Bears use their keen (sharp) sense of smell to avoid danger and find food!

Bears can smell food that’s underwater!

Bears create mental maps (pictures in their mind) of their territory (area) and rarely get lost!

Bears can climb trees headfirst or backwards — whichever is easier!

Bears can hold their breath underwater for up to 2.5 minutes!

Bears know exactly when to start preparing for winter by sensing (feeling) changes in daylight!

Bears can digest (break down in their stomach) foods that would make most other animals sick!

Sources:

Explore More

Download Worksheet
📝
Download Coloring Page
🎨