Biggest Bear Ever: Learn Amazing Facts About Bear Species

Bears are huge animals that are extremely intelligent!

There are only eight living bear species around the world today. The famous children's book called 'The Jungle Book' written by Rudyard Kipling includes a character named Baloo who is a bear that talks!

Classified as mammals, bears are in the Ursidae family. From North America to South America, bears are found all across the world.

These animals exist in different wildlife ranges and each bear species is different from each other. Some well-known bear species that are known by all of us are the North-American giant short-faced bear, polar bear, grizzly bear, brown bear, and Kodiak bear.

Alaska in the United States of America is known to contain about 98% of the total bear population in the country.

Alaska is known to have three unique species of North American bear which are the black bear, brown or grizzly bear, and the polar bear. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has been taking extra measures and precautions to ensure that that the range of these bears is protected throughout the state.

How tall is the tallest bear ever recorded?

Almost every bear species living in the modern world are known for their huge size, big bodies, short tails, and deadly-looking teeth. Their furry appearance can make them look extremely cute and adorable but when it comes to fighting and conflicts with other animals in the wild, they can become really aggressive animals!

A male South-American giant short-faced bear is known to have been the tallest bear to have ever lived on the planet and stood at a whopping height of 11 ft (3.35 m) and weighed around 3,500 lb (1600 kg). This bear is believed to have existed in Argentina, specifically during the Pleistocene Ice Age.

The giant short-faced bear belongs to an extinct genus named Arctotherium angustidens, and lived roughly around 2 million years ago! This bear could have been the largest predator of its time.

The giant short-faced bear would have fought with other apex predators according to paleontological records. Skeletons of this bear's skull also had sharp teeth indicating that they ate meat.

Scientists say that the stout yet well-built legs of the Arctotherium angustidens must have made hunting for prey very easy. This bear would easily win in a competition in terms of height and weight compared to a bear living today.

There are many reasons why these bears are considered a separate subspecies. This bear would have weighed around 1,500 lb (680 kg) after eating a large amount of coho salmon during the fall season.

When this bear stood in an upright position to test the coastal winds, this animal's height would have reached around 9.8 ft (3 m) approximately! The bear's skull was then taken to be displayed at the Los Angeles County Museum.

Today, the world's largest and biggest individual bear is a male polar bear that weighs about 2,200 lb (997 kg)!

Has a human ever killed a bear?

Bears are animals that are constantly being hunted by humans either for their hide, for sport, or in some areas of the world for their meat. Generally, bears are shot because it would take some some real guts in taking down these huge animals with your bare hands, given their weight and size!

Today, there are many efforts being made to sustain their populations, especially in North America.

Believe it or not, some humans have been able to kill a bear with their bare hands! For instance, on May 26, 2013, it was reported a man had killed a bear with his hands.

Blazo Grkovic, who hails from the town of Gacko in southeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, was shepherding his flock of sheep when a brown bear suddenly attacked him. This extremely brave farmer tackled and wrestled with the bear and was finally able to strangle it.

He was celebrated in his country for his bravery in risking his life for his sheep, although he suffered some minor injuries! His wife was shocked to learn that her husband was stronger than the bear!

Another person named C. Dale Petersen in Wyoming was able to take down a grizzly bear with his bare hands. This man put his hand inside the bear's mouth and pinched a jugular vein that resulted in the bear passing out!

Once the bear was knocked out cold, Peterson delivered his final blow with a stick! These are the only two men in the record of history to have ever taked down a bear with their bare hands!

Sadly, bears are typically hunted. Winnen was hunting for deer with his friend on the Hinchinbrook Island in Alaska when they both noticed a bear trying to catch some fish from the river.

With the polar bear being so close, Winnen shot it, causing the bear to fall over. An Alaska brown bear, which is in the world records for its massive size, on Kodiak Island was shot by Roy Lindsey who was an employee of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service based in Kodiak.

He was working closely with a scientific expedition and the bear he shot was the first one he killed. He did a thorough and detailed study on the Kodiak bear.

Which bear is most aggressive?

Bears in general are dangerous animals.

If agitated or if their young are threatened in any way, they will not hesitate in attacking the threat. The most aggressive bears are considered to be brown or grizzly bears and polar bears but even American black bears and Eurasian brown bears are known to attack and kill humans.

Polar bears are rarely afraid of anything and have the capability of killing their prey in one bite. Many bears are often afraid of humans but polar bears are not!

History claims that the South American giant short-faced bear, which belongs to the extinct genus named Arctotherium angustidens, lived many years ago and was an aggressive predator. This bear lived almost 500,000-2 million years ago!

A giant short-faced bear was believed to be the largest bear of this time and was massive in size and weighed a lot.

This bear had an omnivorous diet as scientists and researchers claim that this extinct animal ate raw meat, and chewed tough bones, showing signs of being a predator.

When this prehistoric bear stood on its hind legs, it was as tall as modern bears today but its true strength came from the way its body was built! Their bodies were stout with thick muscles, and other apex predators of their age often challenged them.

Compared to this deadly predator, modern bears are much tamer! The short-faced bear's decline in North America could have largely been due to the Ice Age explosion or due to some other natural calamity on the continent.

What is the biggest grizzly bear ever recorded?

The Kodiak bear is the largest or biggest grizzly bear ever recorded. The individual is a wild that weighs about 1,656 lb (751 kg) and has a height of 5 ft (1.5 m)!

The grizzly bear and the polar bear might not be the biggest bears in the world but they are definitely the strongest bears in the world. The grizzly bear in particular is known to be about 10 times stronger than a silverback gorilla!

If we compare a Kodiak bear with a grizzly bear, the Kodiak bear is larger in size due to the difference in bone structure.

Did You Know...

Some believe that the largest bear on record in current modern times was a 2,200 lb (997 kg) polar bear that was unfortunately shot by Airmen Ted Winnen in Alaska around the 19th century.

The Boone and Crockett Club, or the B&C Club as they are popularly known, is a wildlife conservation organization that aims to protect the lives of various bear species out of national interest.