Bears — Big, Fluffy Animals 🐻

Bears are large, furry animals. They can be brown, black, white (polar bears), or other colors. They have big paws, sharp claws, and a strong nose to sniff out food.

Step 1: What bears look like

Bears are big and fluffy. They walk on all fours but can stand up on their back legs to look around. Baby bears are called cubs.

Step 2: What bears eat

1. Honey and berries — bears love sweet things like honey and lots of berries (strawberries, blueberries).
2. Plants and fruits — they eat grass, roots, and nuts.
3. Sometimes meat — bears also eat fish (like salmon) and sometimes small animals. This means they eat both plants and meat. There is a special word for that: omnivore — it means they eat many different kinds of food.

Step 3: How bears get food

• They sniff with their big noses to find food.
• They climb trees to get berries or honey from beehives.
• They stand by rivers and catch fish with their paws.
• Sometimes they dig in the ground for roots or insects.

Step 4: Hibernation

In cold places, many bears sleep for a long time in winter. This is called hibernation. They eat a lot before winter so they have enough fat to sleep through the cold months.

Step 5: Staying safe around bears

• Never go near a wild bear. Give bears lots of space.
• Never feed a bear. Food can make them come closer to people and that can be dangerous.
• If you see a bear from far away, stay calm, slowly move away, and tell an adult.

Fun facts

• Some bears stand up to look taller or to smell better.
• Polar bears live where it is very cold and mostly eat seals.
• Brown and black bears can eat plants, berries, fish, and sometimes meat.
• Mama bears take very good care of their cubs.

Quick activity for you

Draw a bear: start with a big circle for the body, a smaller circle for the head, add two ears, four legs, and a nose. Color it brown, black, or white. Can you draw the bear eating honey or berries?

Great job learning about bears! 🐾