Scientists fitted 20 polar bears in the Hudson Bay with collar cams to study how much time they spent hunting, foraging, sleeping and communing. Come along as they swim with friends, snack and nap. The video is long but gives a unique glimpse into the life of a polar bear in summer.
There are only eight different bear species in the world, with polar bears considered the largest and sun bears as the smallest.
What most people don’t realize is that within most species of bear, there are subspecies.
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Some of these subspecies are massive, with one even rivaling the polar bear in size.
We’ve compiled a list of the six largest types of bears in the world.
Polar bear
The reigning champion of the bears is the polar bear. Ranging from 8 to 10 feet long and 600 to 1,500 pounds on average, the polar bear is the biggest of the bear species in most people’s eyes.
Polar bears are closely related to brown bears, despite such different appearances. These white-furred bears are native to the circumpolar Arctic, but their range depends on the amount of sea ice available, according to the International Association for Bear Research and Management.
A large polar bear in Alaska.
(Mike Lockhart Volunteer, USGS / FOX Weather)
Kodiak bear
The Kodiak bear is a subspecies of brown bear. Some people consider the Kodiak bear to be even larger than the polar bear, as the largest bear in the world, but the polar bear is still widely considered the largest.
Kodiak bears are native to the Kodiak Archipelago, and can be up to 10 feet tall when standing upright, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
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Kodiak bear standing among tall grasses near O’Malley Creek on Kodiak Island
(Kodiak Bear, Menke, Dave/USFWS, Public Domain, https://www.fws.gov/media/kodiak-bear / FOX Weather)
Male Kodiak bears can weigh up to 1,400 pounds.
Kamchatka brown bear
Another subspecies of brown bear, the Kamchatka bear, is reportedly the largest brown bear in Eurasia, mostly found in the Kamchatka region of Russia and nearby islands.
Its size is reported to rival a Kodiak bear, weighing up to 1,400 pounds.
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Kamchatka Brown bear (Ursus arctos beringianus)the bear shakes after swim in Kurile Lake. Kamchatka peninsula. Russian Federation. Eurasia.
(Valerio Ferraro/REDA/Universal Images Group / Getty Images)
Grizzly bear
The grizzly bear is the other subspecies of brown bear found in North America.
Grizzly bears can weigh upwards of 700 pounds and range in color from very light tan to dark brown.
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Grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) on the grass, Lake Clark, Alaska, USA.
(Juan Giribet/VWPics/Universal Images Group / Getty Images)
These bears are listed as threatened on the endangered species list.
Ussuri brown bear
This subspecies of brown bear is only found in Eurasia, primarily in Eastern Russia and China.
Ussuri brown bears can weigh up to 1,300 pounds on average, and are similar to the Kamchatka brown bear.
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Riku the Ussuri Brown Bear enjoys her first Christmas at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park, as keeps served up a Christmas treats hidden inside Christmas boxes.
(Danny Lawson/PA Images / Getty Images)
Eurasian brown bear
Eurasian brown bears can also be found in Eurasia, as their name suggests, but this subspecies is a bit smaller than the Kamchatka and Ussuri brown bears.
Eurasian brown bear (Ursus arctos), Notranjska forest, Slovenia..
(Sergio Pitamitz/VWPics/Universal Images Group / Getty Images)
These brown bears have a much wider range, stretching from Russia all the way up into Scandinavia, with populations in Sweden, Austria and Slovenia.
