Bears

Bears. Written by Kira Freed.

熊 基拉·弗里德 撰文

What is a bear? Bears are intelligent, curious, powerful animals that have always fascinated people. They have thick fur, short legs, small ears, stubby tails, long claws, and jaws that can crush bone. Bears have a keen sense of smell and can even smell and find food packed inside plastic bags. The smallest bear is the sun bear, which weighs 36 to 63 kilograms, 80 to 140 pounds. The largest bear is the polar bear. Male polar bears can weigh as much as 680 kilograms, 1 ,500 pounds. Many bears are known for hibernating or sleeping, often for months at a time. Bears that hibernate do so to survive the cold winter when food is scarce. They consume large quantities of food during the warmer months to store enough fat to last without food during the winter. Even though bears are famous for hibernating, many bears do not hibernate. Polar bears and giant pandas cannot obtain enough food during the warmer months to fatten and go without food in the winter. Sun bears and sloth bears, which live where food is plentiful year -round, also do not hibernate.

什么是熊？ 熊聪明好奇又强壮，一直以来都深深吸引着人类。 它们长着厚厚的皮毛、短短的腿、小小的耳朵、粗短的尾巴、长长的爪子，还有能咬碎骨头的颌骨。 熊的嗅觉非常灵敏，甚至能闻到并找到藏在塑料袋里的食物。 最小的熊是马来熊，体重在36到63千克，即80到140磅之间。 最大的熊是北极熊。 雄性北极熊最重可达680千克，即1500磅。 很多熊都以冬眠闻名，往往一睡就能连续睡上好几个月。 熊冬眠是为了熬过食物匮乏的寒冷冬天，存活下来。 温暖的季节里它们会吃下大量食物，储存足够的脂肪，撑过冬季没有食物的日子。 尽管熊以冬眠出名，但其实很多熊并不冬眠。 北极熊和大熊猫无法在温暖季节攒够足够脂肪，支撑整个冬天不进食。 马来熊和懒熊生活的地方全年食物充足，它们也不会冬眠。

Growing up, most adult bears are solitary, preferring to roam on their own. The exceptions are during the mating season and when mothers care for their cubs. Bears usually have one to three cubs at a time. Bear cubs are very small, blind, and helpless at birth. They stay in a den with their mother for several months following their birth. Male bears do not help raise cubs, and in fact, sometimes kill and eat them. The mother bear must fiercely protect her cubs while they are young and vulnerable. Cubs stay close to their mother for up to three years. During that time, their biggest task is to learn how to find food. Then they are on their own.

长大后，大多数成年熊都习惯独居，喜欢独自四处游荡。 只有两个例外：交配季，以及熊妈妈抚育幼崽的时候。 熊妈妈一次通常会生1到3只幼崽。 熊宝宝刚出生的时候体型很小，眼睛看不见，十分脆弱。 出生后，它们会和妈妈一起在洞穴里待好几个月。 公熊不会帮忙抚育幼崽，实际上，它们有时还会杀死并吃掉幼崽。 所以熊妈妈必须拼命保护年幼弱小的幼崽。 幼崽会待在妈妈身边，最长可达三年。 这段时间里，它们最重要的任务就是学习如何寻找食物。 之后它们就要独立生活了。

kinds of bears. The following pages introduce the eight kinds of bears. Their comparative sizes are shown in the illustration below.

熊的种类 接下来的内容会介绍八种不同的熊。 下方的插图展示了它们的体型对比。

Polar bears. The polar bear is the largest bear and the largest land -dwelling carnivore on Earth. It is easily identified by its white or yellow -white fur that camouflages it in snowy surroundings. Polar bears are exceptional swimmers, aided by partially webbed front paws. A thick layer of fat keeps them warm even in frigid water. Polar bears live near the North Pole. They are powerful hunters, eating mostly seals and walruses. Because food can be scarce, they may not eat for four or five days at a time.

北极熊 北极熊是体型最大的熊，也是地球上最大的陆生食肉动物。 很容易识别它：白色或黄白色的皮毛能让它在雪地中完美伪装。 北极熊前爪长有半蹼，是非常出色的游泳健将。 厚厚的脂肪层就算在冰冷水里也能帮它保暖。 北极熊生活在北极附近。 它们是强劲的猎手，主要捕食海豹和海象。 因为食物时常匮乏，它们可以连续四五天不进食。

Brown bears. Not all brown bears are brown. They are divided into 10 subgroups based on coloring, which ranges from light tan to reddish brown to very dark brown. One famous subgroup is the grizzly bear. Its name comes from its gray tipped fur, which looks frosty or grizzled. The largest brown bear, the Kodiak bear, lives in Alaska. Brown bears have the largest range of any kind of bear. They live in western North America, parts of Europe, and much of northern Asia. Brown bears vary in size depending on where they live and what they eat. Fish, especially salmon, is a staple in the diet of many brown bears. The diet of a grizzly bear is among the most varied of any living animal. Grizzlies eat meat, fish, insects, eggs, berries, roots, leaves, and grass.

棕熊 不是所有棕熊都是棕色的。 根据毛色它们被分成10个亚群，毛色范围从浅棕褐色、红棕色到深棕色不等。 最有名的亚群就是灰熊。 它的名字来源于带灰色的毛尖，看起来像蒙了霜，发灰发白。 体型最大的棕熊科迪亚克熊生活在阿拉斯加。 棕熊的栖息地范围是所有熊类里最广的。 它们生活在北美西部、欧洲部分地区，以及北亚大部分区域。 棕熊的体型会因栖息地和食物的不同而存在差异。 鱼类，尤其是三文鱼，是很多棕熊的主食。 灰熊的食谱是现存动物里最丰富的之一。 灰熊会吃肉、鱼、昆虫、鸟蛋、浆果、根茎、叶子和青草。