Bears

 Third grade continues with their animal study and connections to First Nation folktales and art. 

They used observation, information to create with imagination their own bear portraits. 

16 BEAR FACTS

·        Only the polar bear is a true carnivore. All other bears are omnivores- eating both plants and meat.

·        The only species of bear that does not move its ears to pick up sound is the giant panda.

·        Bears are bowlegged. This gives them better grip and balance.

·        Bears have never lived in Australia or Antarctica. Although bears do not currently live in Africa, bear fossils have been found there. Scientists are unsure why bears do not live in Africa today.

·        The sloth bear has the shaggiest fur. The sun bear has the shortest fur so it can keep cool in the hot forests of Southeast Asia.

·        When U.S. President Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt refused to shoot a black bear cub on a hunting trip, a cartoon featured the event, and soon stuffed toy manufacturers popularized “Teddy’s bear.”

·        Because bears can walk short distances on their hind legs, some Native Americans called them “the beast that walks like a man.”

·        Spectacled bears are the only wild bears that live in South America.

·        A polar bear can swim up to 100 miles without resting and a swimming polar bear can jump 8 ft. (2.4 m) out of the water to surprise a seal.

·        Panda bears have an extra “thumb” (which is actually an extra-large wrist bone) just for holding onto bamboo stalks. A panda bear can eat over 45 lbs. (20.4 kg) of bamboo per day.

·        Sloth bears’ favorite food is termites. These bears have no front teeth, so they easily suck out insects from their nests like a vacuum cleaner. They can also seal their nostrils for better suction.

·        A male bear is called a boar or a he-bear. A female bear is called a sow or a she-bear. A group of bears is called a sleuth or sloth.

·        The symbol of the United Russia Party is a bear. In fact, bears have traditionally not only been a symbol of pride and power in Russia, but have also been common images in fairy tales and myth.

·        The name “grizzly bear” refers to the silver-tipped or “grizzled” hair of a brown bear.

·        The Sun bear is the smallest of the bears and is about the size of a large dog. It gets its name from a blond chest patch of fur that looks like a setting sun. Sun bears are also known as honey bears.

·         Baloo, from The Jungle Book, is a sloth bear.

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