What Animals Belong to the Bear Family?

In the biological classification of species, identification ranges from broad (kingdom), through progressively more focused classifications (phylum, class, order, family and genus), to narrow (individual species). There are eight species in Ursidae, the bear family.

  1. American Black Bear (Ursus americanus)

    • Black bears are the most common bear in North America. They are found throughout Canada, the United States and northern Mexico. They live in wooded areas.

    Brown or Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos)

    • The brown bear can be found almost anywhere in the northern hemisphere, including North America, Europe, Asia and certain areas in the Middle East. They live in wooded mountains, valleys and meadows.

    Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus)

    • Polar bears are located in the Arctic. They live in all countries that have territory near the North Pole. They live on the shore and use sea ice as their primary hunting grounds.

    Giant Panda Bear (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)

    • Giant panda bears are found in the forests of the Yangtze Basin in central China. They were once found in Vietnam and Burma, but habitat destruction has greatly reduced their population.

    Asiatic Bear (Ursus thibetanus)

    • The Asiatic bear is very similar to the American black bear. Its habitat ranges from Afghanistan to Japan. These bears live mainly in the Himalaya Mountains, often above an elevation of 13,000 feet.

    Spectacled Bear (Tremarctos ornatus)

    • The spectacled bear is from a subfamily of the Ursidae family. It is the only bear that lives in South America and the only surviving member of its subfamily. These bears live in rainforests in the Andes Mountains.

    Sloth Bear (Melurus ursinus)

    • Sloth bears are found in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and neighboring countries. They were once believed to be sloths because of their appearance. They live in wooded areas, meadows and dense brush.

    Sun Bear (Helarctos malayanus)

    • Sun bears are some of the smallest bears on the planet. They live in the subtropics and Southeast Asia. These nocturnal bears climb trees and sleep in the sun during the day.