Bear family tree
The world has 8 species of bear. Although an incredibly successful family in their own right, humans have not been good for the various species which make up this family.
Click on a picture to be taken to its page
Below is a family tree showing current understood relation between the bear species
Panda bear behaving like a meat eater/scavenger?
- Tim
- December 7, 2023
This bear was filmed, gnawing on a bone from a takin, a species of wild cattle.
For a species which is thought to survive exclusively on bamboo, this would...
Unknown, seemingly impossible Polar bear population found living in Greenland
- Tim
- June 27, 2023
2200 polar bears live on the west coast of Greenland. It is unknown how many live on the east coast, but this group appears to be living in a place...
Montana (and many other states) cannot be trusted to maintain sensible populations of grizzly bears or wolves, so why do they have control?
- Tim
- May 26, 2023
In 2020, Trump gave responsibility for managing wildlife populations back to the states. Now one might argue that this is the right thing to do, after all it is democracy,...
Wolves, Bears and white tailed eagles are making great comebacks across Europe and other species are also doing well
- Tim
- November 24, 2022
Wolf numbers have increased by 1800% since the 1970s with a total of over 17,000 now inhabiting the continent. Bears started from a less precarious place, but have still increased...
Linking bear and wolf populations across Europe is the best way to preserve them longterm – is this possible?
- Tim
- October 12, 2022
The Pyrennes in the south west of France, and the corresponding area across the border, are a wonderful area of wilderness. There are currently about 64 bears living in this...
Uninvited black bear crashes party in Connecticut
- Tim
- September 13, 2022
American Black bears are far and away the most numerous bear in the world by some margin. It is thought that at least 800,000 American black bears still roam the...
Polar bears appear to be surviving despite the lack of sea ice, should we take this as a positive sign?
- Tim
- August 18, 2022
A group of polar bears are surviving in south-east Greenland are surviving despite there not being sea ice for most of the year.
Talking of the Cantabrian bear population of Spain, its growth is incredible – can its success be replicated?
- Tim
- June 28, 2022
In the 1990s the bear population of this mountain range consisted of about 50-65 in the western population, and 14-20 in the east. No more than 30 years later, that...
Hello – I am back. Wildlife trip watching Cantabrian bears
- Tim
- June 27, 2022
Currently, we are still a small operation, so when I am away articles cease. This will change we move forwards.
I have been in Spain. I drove our new electric...
Return of the bear wolf and lynx to France and western Europe
- Tim
- March 11, 2022
The recovery of wolves bears and lynx over the last several generations in western Europe has been nothing short of astounding.
In the 1960s the population of the iberian wolf...
Bears should be given more respect as predators
- Tim
- January 25, 2022
It is often suggested that bears are merely opportunistic when it comes to meat eating. The suggestion is that bears are vegetarians who are capable of scavenging from dead animals....
Bears and wolves are not good friends seen recently as bear steals a kill from wolves in Yellowstone
- Tim
- January 11, 2022
Most scavengers are relatively small. Animals like jackals are unable to make large kills. Furthermore, the amount left behind by lion and leopard is usually more than enough for a...
Grizzly bears are rebounding in the USA, how can this success story continue?
- Tim
- October 27, 2021
Back in 1975, the American Grizzly bear was declared endangered. With only minor differences, the American Grizzly bear is the same species as the European bear, that lives from Western...
Should bears be returned to the wilds of the UK?
- Tim
- August 20, 2021
If you follow this blog regularly, you will have read yesterday and the day before on the reasoning for reintroducing Lynx and Wolves.
As I wrote, Lynx should be a...
First recorded fatal bear attack in Slovenia in living memory
- Tim
- June 16, 2021
Bears are highly intelligent fascinating animals. However it must also be remembered, that they are highly efficient predators, and that they are more than capable of defending themselves.
Whipsnade zoo shoots two Bears after they escape
- Tim
- May 24, 2021
Whipsnade zoo had three bears. A tree trunk blew over, allowing two of them to climb into the neighbouring enclosure that contained boar.
The...
The Cantabrian brown bear is returning, will it be allowed
- Tim
- March 17, 2021
Back around the 1900 there were around 1000 bears roaming the mountains of the Iberian peninsular. Unfortunately by 1950 this population had been reduced to two small populations consisting of...
Bears do have close encounters with people, however sensible behaviour makes this interesting for both
- Tim
- March 11, 2021
The bears in France are often talked about like a problem child. However in actual fact that is not what they are like at all.
Bears are omnivores, and as...
The Cantabrian bear population continues to go from strength to strength
- Tim
- December 25, 2020
Back in 2015, my family and I visited the area that Cantabrian bears live in (this is in patches along the North and west of Spain. I was excited to...
Białowieża forest on the border between Poland and Belarus is naturally rewinding- now bears
- Tim
- October 25, 2020
Białowieża forest is the last large forest that still stands, as a part of the primeval forests that once forested the majority of Europe.