Bear


 * This article is about the species. For other uses of this term, see Bear (disambiguation).

Bears are any large mammal in the family Ursidae of the order Carnivora. The adjective "ursine" is used to describe things of a bear-like nature. The collective noun for a group of them is a sleuth.

Types of bears
There are over twenty species of bears, including:


 * American black bear
 * Asiatic black bear
 * Brown bear
 * Marsican brown bear
 * Sloth bear
 * Cave Bear (Extinct)
 * Florida cave bear
 * Werebear
 * Short Faced Bear (Extinct)
 * Polar bear
 * Sun bear
 * Giant panda (which used to be considered a close relative of the raccoon family)
 * Grolar/Pizzly bear (Hybrid animal resulting from mating of a Grizzly and a Polar)

Bears and furry
Bears are rather uncommon in modern furry culture, compared to their mythological importance. Bear fursonas are commonly adopted by large individuals (often with size fetishes) or Native American furries.

Anthropomorphic bears are common in artwork and literature. One of the most famous anthropomorphic bears in the world is Winnie the Pooh. Other examples include Goldilocks and the Three Bears, as well as the popular children's series Berenstain Bears.

Furry fans of transformation and animal totems enjoy the movie Brother Bear, in which an Inuit boy must deal with transforming into the animal he hates the most -- a bear -- while simultaneously gaining an unwanted 'brother'.

Bears are the most common commercial plushies, marketed as the teddy bear.

Fictional species of Bear include the Cave Bear in Dungeons & Dragons)
 * Illiop, a fictional species best known to the public through Ken Forsse's character Teddy Ruxpin

Smokey Bear is a mascot that promotes prevention of forest fires.

Polar Bear's Café

Berserker
Berserker (literally bear-shirt in Old Norse) comes from the old Norwegian term berserkr (plural berserkir) refers to Norse champions who donned themselves in bear fur as recognition. Nowadays the term is used either to describe a warrior fighting with great rage or when a person turns blid by the rage (going berserk).

Berserker were said to wear bear-skins or wolf-skins, which gave them the ability to transform into these animals.