Talk:Bear

Polar bear versus brown bear
I have proof that the brown bear can rival the polar bear in weight or size. In Alaska, in the 19th Century, a polar bear weighing about 998 kg was shot, and a Californian grizzly weighing that much was reportedly killed in 1866, in what is now Valley Center, California. Leo1pard (talk) 07:56, 7 January 2018 (UTC)
 * Exceptionally large specimens are irrelevant to this article. The polar bear is considered to be the largest species on average. That all that matters. LittleJerry (talk) 17:36, 11 January 2018 (UTC)


 * That is, before | you say something different. Leo1pard (talk) 13:17, 16 January 2018 (UTC)

Which big cats prey on bears?

 * Please stop adding the same things over and over. There are numerous threats to bear cubs and one jaguar that killed some bears is not relevant to this article. You need to realize this is a general article and not some dumping ground for obscure facts like "this individual jaguar killed some bears" or "the largest Kodiak bear on record was..." LittleJerry (talk) 15:32, 20 January 2018 (UTC)
 * That was not the only reference about the jaguar preying on the bear ... Leo1pard (talk) 18:15, 20 January 2018 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 5 February 2019
On the link for source number 2, 'The word for "bear"', the article has been moved or deleted, because the link doesn't take you to the right page. Bumbleton (talk) 23:46, 5 February 2019 (UTC)
 * Yes check.svg Done archived version added DannyS712 (talk) 23:58, 5 February 2019 (UTC)

Caniformia? why is it not displayed in the taxbox?
I'm not big on zoology editing, but it is displayed a lot in the article but not in the taxonomy box Snfdfk (talk) 10:45, 17 February 2019 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. —Community Tech bot (talk) 16:26, 8 November 2019 (UTC)
 * Hemicyon white background.jpg

Sorting?
About the Communications section, which reads in part:


 * Tongue-clicking, grunting or chuffing many be made in cordial situations, such as between mothers and cubs or courting couples, while moaning, huffing, sorting or blowing air is made when an individual is stressed.

According to common dictionaries, "sorting" is not a type of vocalization — if it is, it's biologist jargon and would need a link to a definition.

History: The word "sorting" was added during the revision of 03:16, 6 Feb 2017, but is not mentioned in the reference added at that time.

Please link to definition or remove. Plan9fromInnerSpace (talk) 07:34, 11 January 2020 (UTC)

Grammatical error(s)
Theres at least one grammatical error in this article. The following is an example:

"offspring may become independent around the next spring, through some may stay until...." Pretty sure /through/ should be changed to /though/. Anonymous Gnostic (talk) 14:05, 28 August 2020 (UTC)

Edit request
redirects here while Bear Cub is a different topic. Please add a hatnote to handle the issue.

-- 65.93.183.33 (talk) 19:02, 1 February 2021 (UTC)
 * ✅ 54nd60x (talk) 23:18, 1 February 2021 (UTC)

Taxonomic mispelling
The tree for McKenna et al. (1997) includes a typo. Hemicyoninae is listed twice, when the text accompanying the tree states that one of them (the parent of the other) should be Hemicyonidae.

This

should instead be

Also, "The second alternative phylogenetic hypothesis was implemented by McKenna et al. (1997) is to classify all the bear species into the superfamily Ursoidea" is not grammatically correct due to an extra 'is'. It should be "The second alternative phylogenetic hypothesis was implemented by McKenna et al. (1997) to classify all the bear species into the superfamily Ursoidea".

2406:5A00:D0AC:6300:FC35:DF8B:BFC2:E55 (talk) 12:12, 7 March 2021 (UTC)


 * Yes check.svg DoneAnaxial (talk) 12:24, 7 March 2021 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 5 May 2021
change In some species, offspring may become independent around the next spring, through some may stay to In some species, offspring may become independent around the next spring, though some may stay 75.141.62.2 (talk) 18:57, 5 May 2021 (UTC)
 * You'll need to provide a citation from a reliable source for that. OhNo itsJamie Talk 18:58, 5 May 2021 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. ScottishFinnishRadish (talk) 19:15, 5 May 2021 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 27 June 2021
Under Subheading: Reproduction and development, third paragraph: "In some species, offspring..". Change "through some may stay" to "though some may stay." 68.14.72.146 (talk) 01:59, 27 June 2021 (UTC)
 * Yes check.svg Done RudolfRed (talk) 02:17, 27 June 2021 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 25 September 2021
"Arkto" is not a possible Germanic form of the original Indo-European "bear" word. The Greek -ar- is the outcome of a syllabic /r/, which in Germanic would become -ur-, not -ar-. It's not clear what the consonant cluster would have been, but -kt- is again not possible for Germanic. This imaginary and impossible Germanic form "arkto" should simply be deleted.

Image
The current image used in the article is not the best in terms of quality, so I have listed image suggestions below (feel free to suggest other images). Sahaib (talk) 15:43, 27 June 2022 (UTC) Pinging some bear editors:, , Sahaib (talk) 15:50, 27 June 2022 (UTC)

"Honey pig" listed at Redirects for discussion
An editor has identified a potential problem with the redirect Honey pig and has thus listed it for discussion. This discussion will occur at Redirects for discussion/Log/2022 July 8 until a consensus is reached, and readers of this page are welcome to contribute to the discussion. TraderCharlotte (talk) 03:09, 8 July 2022 (UTC)

typo correction requested
Search for stiffed and change to sniffed. If there's more than one, it'll be obvious.

Not sure why this page is protected against vandals. . . 136.57.38.119 (talk) 21:01, 5 July 2023 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 17 August 2023
Please italicize hatnote for the film title "Bear Cub". 181.65.139.227 (talk) 12:06, 17 August 2023 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: Template already automatically done it.  — Paper9oll  (🔔 • 📝)  14:36, 17 August 2023 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 11 December 2023.
Under Behaviour and characteristics -> Feeding, the following sentence does not read well:

” The sloth bear is not as specialized as polar bears and the panda, has lost several front teeth usually seen in bears”

Presumably, what is meant here is that despite not being as specialised as the the panda or polar bear, the sloth bear does have some characteristics pushing it towards a specialised diet. The sentence does not convey that correctly. I suggest the following:

“Whilst not as specialized as the polar bear or the panda, the sloth bear has lost several front teeth usually seen in bears” PerSeAnd (talk) 21:56, 11 December 2023 (UTC)

Confusing sentence
"With the exception of courting individuals and mothers with their young, bears are typically solitary animals."

Can this be rewritten to not sound like mothers and their young are among those being courted? 71.47.252.144 (talk) 11:49, 21 May 2024 (UTC)