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Habitat and Physical Adaptations

The eight existing bear species are found in varying habitats, in vastly different climates everywhere in the world except Australia and Antarctica. But wherever bears are found, they have adapted to their surroundings and the foods that they find there in unique and amazing ways.
With bodies wonderfully adapted to freezing temperatures, polar bears are found in the areas of annual ice that form around the shorelines of the continents and the archipelagoes at the circumpolar Arctic. This area has the highest concentration of food sources available, that food most often being in the form of ringed and sometimes bearded seals. The polar bear's heavy fur and thick fat layer let it retain its normal body temperature even when the thermometer outside reads -35ºF. Their fur, which appears white, is actually clear and hollow and focuses solar heat down to the bear's black skin below. And while hunting its white appearance acts as excellent camouflage. The polar bear's body shape is well adapted to its semi-aquatic life, with a narrow head and wedge shaped body it moves quickly through the water. Its huge feet act like paddles in the water and its hind paws are even partially webbed for better swimming control. While on land, the polar bear's big feet act as snowshoes and even help distribute its weight when walking on delicate ice.
Brown bears, the direct ancestors of polar bears, don't mind cold temperatures either and inhabit dense forests, tundra and lower alpine mountain regions in Europe, Asia and North America.
The characteristic hump across the brown bear’s shoulders indicates the animal's incredibly strong muscles most often used for digging, either vegetation to eat or a den in which to sleep. Their very long claws, usually indicative of a carnivore, aid the brown bear in digging for roots, honey, insect nests and other food items. The brown bear's huge size often makes people forget its basically herbivorous habits.
The Andean bear lives in a variety of forested Andes mountain habitats, ranging in elevation from 500 to 14,000 feet. This bear is an excellent tree climber and forages for its diet of fruit and bromeliads in the trees. It is believed to build platforms or nests from which to feed in the treetops by bending back branches to form a disorganized pile strong enough to support it. These branch piles are then covered with a soft layer of leaves for bedding material. The amount of bear fur and dropping found in and around the "nest" seem to indicate that a Andean bear probably uses it for an extended period of time. Andean bears have short sturdy legs that give it easy access in the dense foliage most often found in the cloud forest, a lush, misty ecosystem of the Andes.
American black bears prefer thickly forested areas at altitudes from sea level to 6500 feet. Their choice habitat is always one that keeps them away from contact with brown bears, a much larger competitor species. Black bears are adept at climbing trees, much more so than brown bears and their shorter but sturdy claws give them a quick start in scaling a tree to safety.
Giant pandas are found southwestern China living in mountain forests with dense stands of bamboo at an altitude of 4,000 - 11,500 feet. Because their diet is almost entirely bamboo with very little nutritional value, giant pandas spend most of their time sitting on the ground and feeding. They can climb trees when threatened.
Sun bears can be found in Southeast Asia living in the lowland tropical rainforests. Although the smallest of all bears, sun bears are extremely muscular with short, bowed legs and inwardly set feet that make them excellent tree climbers. Their nails are long and sickle-shaped and the soles of their feet are naked, an adaptation believed to help make sun bears particularly adept in tree climbing. Being a small animal in the land of tigers and other predators makes this adaptation an important one.
The subcontinent of India is home to the sloth bear which prefers grasslands and forested areas at predominantly lower altitudes. It is often found in drier forests and areas with rock outcroppings, prime locations for its diet of ants and termites. Much of the sloth bear's adaptations are to aid in its insectivorous lifestyle. The extremely long, sharp claws help it to rip open concrete-hard termite mounds, its long muzzle, mobile lips and absence of two front teeth help it to form a perfect "vacuum" to sucking up its tiny prey. The shaggy fur may afford it protect from heat but definitely provide young sloth bears with a movable "nest" as young cubs are often seen riding their mother as she goes about looking for food.
Asiatic black bears were once plentiful throughout Southeast Asia and the scattered remaining population still prefers heavily forested areas, particularly in the hills and mountains and most tropical forests below alpine elevations. The front limbs of the Asiatic black bear are much more developed than their back limbs, making them excellent tree climbers. This adaptation is an aid in finding the nutritionally rich diet of fruits and nuts the black bears feed on. Like the Andean bear, the Asiatic black bear has been known to build feeding platforms on which it will also occasionally rest.