By Evan Wild
Tall, lumbering, angry, dangerous. The real live bears of this world are proud, independent creatures, self-serving and always on the hunt for food. Nothing like the bears you see on TV, like Baloo from renowned documentary, The Jungle Book.
So what are bears really like, and why does the world's media portray them with such a skewed vision? In this article we try to answer those questions, and give you a real insight into the life of the bear.
Types of bear
Bears come in two varieties — large and medium. You don't get small bears. If you have seen a small bear, then it was in fact probably a baby bear (cub) from another species.
Bears can also be classified in terms of their habitat — both large and medium bears are just as at home in urban areas as they are in the countryside. Different habitats encourange different behaviour however, as you'll find out below. The below table also gives you some useful facts about bears.
| Bear Type | Coat | Adult size | Habitat | Lifespan | Diet |
| Wild | Brown or black | 1.4 to 2.8 meters | Woods and forests | 25 to 28 years | Fish, meat, plants |
| Urban | North Face | 18 to 22 | Condos and coffee shops | 20 to 32 years | Starbucks, sushi |
Wild bears eat a variety of meat, fish, fruit, nuts, and other natually growing ingredients. In general they will hunt for food themselves in woodland or rivers, but at a push they will track down their sustenance from farms or country houses. They tend to live in relative isolation, in caves, tents, or cottages.
Mating rituals
Bears are romantic creatures by nature, and will naturally look for a mate that they can spend the rest of their lives with. They will woo a potential suitor by making their dwelling look attractive — for example with cave paintings or a bed of reeds in the case of a wild bear, and mood lighting and a Michael Bublé CD in the case of an urban bear.
The following audio clip contains a fact file providing more details about bear mating rituals, along with samples and quotes from experts.
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This is real an audio about bears, but it is an audio file which you can transcript
Bob Fossil
Oh I am so glad you taught me all about the big brown angry guys in the woods. With their sniffing little noses and their bad attitudes, they can sure be a menace — I was thinking of putting them all in a truck and driving them outta here. I run a zoo, you know.