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You might have seen different kinds of bears in an exhibit at the zoo before. But what about up close in the wild? If you stumble upon a bear in its natural habitat, you could be their next meal.
While most bears won’t attack unless provoked, you absolutely do not want to put yourself in that kind of situation. Bears tend to be very territorial and aggressive. They know they are physically capable of taking someone down and getting their point across in a deadly way with their gigantic claws and teeth.
Maybe you’re the biggest fan of Winnie The Pooh. Or maybe Paddington is more your cup of tea. But forget about those cute and cuddly portrayals of bears you see in TV and movies. Bears are not your friend and it is best to leave them alone, especially when they’re hungry.
Generally speaking, bears are a force to be reckoned with. This list lays out the types of bears that are known for being the most dangerous in the world.
1. Grizzly Bears
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Grizzly bears are a North American brown bear subspecies. They’re found in the northern and western parts of the US (including Alaska) and Canada.
The grizzly bear is a fierce predator that feeds on other animals, ranging from rodents to moose. However, this bear’s diet mainly consists of nuts, fruits, berries and roots.
Grizzly bears can be extremely dangerous and aggressive to humans, especially when disturbed or if people come between a mother grizzly and her cub. They are often known to scour places where they smell food as well.
Grizzly attacks have become rampant in recent times, particularly in National Parks across North America. One notable attack was the one that took the life of bear enthusiast and conservationist Timothy Treadwell and his girlfriend at Katmai National Park in Alaska. Treadwell’s obsession with Grizzly Bears and his unfortunate demise was chronicled in Werner Herzog’s documentary Grizzly Man.
2. Polar Bears
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Polar bears are enormous white-coated hypercarnivores that mainly occupy the Arctic Circle. They’re the largest existing bear species in the world, with males averaging 7-9 feet with a height of 5 feet at the shoulder and weighing between 900 and 1600 pounds. Females are smaller, weighing 400-500 pounds on average.
Polar bears are adapted for cold climates, hunting preys, mainly seals, and moving through the ice, snow, and open waters.
They are powerful predators that express no fright for humans. They also usually develop a taste for trash near human territories, bringing them into risky proximity with people.
The Arctic Circle is a harsh environment where food is scarce. Those who choose to venture up north to this region could be a target for a hungry polar bear.
3. Kamchatka Brown Bears
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Kamchatka Brown Bears are the largest of the Eurasian brown bears, reaching a maximum weight of 1,433 lbs and a height of 10 feet. They can be found in the Anadyrsky District of the Former Soviet Union with subspecies found in Saint Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea.
Kamchatka brown bears are incredibly large carnivores and while they do not typically attack humans, they are deadly when they do. Statistically speaking, they are not likely to attack people, with one researcher finding only 1% of his 270 encounters with Kamchatka brown bears resulted in an attack. But like most species of brown bears, they are highly territorial and very protective of their cubs and will do serious damage to anyone who gets between them.
4. Sun Bears
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Sun Bears may be the smallest bear species, measuring just 4 to 5 feet long on their hind legs and weighing 60 to 150 pounds. But don’t underestimate these overly aggressive creatures, as they’re known to attack without any provocation.
These bears are found primarily in Southeast Asia and have been described as the most “fierce animals in its range.” Between 2000 and 2010, there were 33 deaths due to sun bears in Mizoram, India, alone.
Sun bears are heavy targets for poachers, which might explain their tendency to act viciously towards people. For poachers, every part of the sun bear has value, with its meat being sold as food, its claws and teeth sold as souvenirs, and its gallbladder used in medicine.
5. American Black Bears
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The American black bear is the most common bear species in North America. They’re medium size, standing not much more than 6 feet and weighing between 200 to 600 pounds. But the abundance of this species is enough to make them a threat if you cross paths with them.
American black bears aren’t completely solitary. Group formations occur mostly in the form of mama black bears congregating with one another while raising their cubs. Though they generally try to avoid people whenever possible, mama bear is always watching and will attack if you get near her cubs.
American black bears are relatively intelligent and are often trained by humans for a number of purposes. They can be trained as guard animals, where they will certainly intimidate anyone who approaches and are more than capable of stopping anyone who gets too close.
