bear facts

The fingerprints of koala bears are virtually indistinguishable from those of humans, so much so that they could be confused at a crime scene.

A full grown bear can run as fast as a horse.

A full grown grizzly bear from Western North America can bite through a piece of steel that is half an inch thick.

At birth, a panda weighs about 4 ounces and is smaller than a mouse.

Bears hibernating don't go to the bathroom for 4 months.

Most polar bears are left-handed.

Polar bears can eat as much as ten percent of their body weight in less than one hour.

Polar bears have more problems with overheating than they do with cold. Even in very cold weather, they quickly overheat when they try to run.

The hairless area of roughened skin at the tip of a bear's snout is called the rhinarium.

The Kodiak, which is native to Alaska, is the largest bear and can measure up to eight feet and weigh as much as 1,700 pounds.

The only predator that polar bears have are humans.

The opening to the cave in which a bear hibernates is always on the north slope. Unless the bear lives in the southern hemisphere.