I remember visits to the circus, when I was little. Funny clowns, deft acrobats, trained animals. What I liked most there were the animals, especially dogs and bears. There were dancing bears, bears riding a bicycle. They all were so cute! Here are some pictures of wild bears, which were not trained, but can be as funny as those bears from the circus.

When I was looking through my collection of the photos of bears, I noticed that bears have a strong resemblance to dogs. Later I found out, that they are relatives – bears are doglike carnivorans.

By the way, the closest living relatives of bears are pinnipeds. This is why they swim so well.

There are eight living species of bear. They look different.

Brown bears are at risk of extirpation in certain countries.

Many bears of northern regions hibernate in winter.

Bears are typically solitary animals.

Except for courting individuals…

…and mothers with their little cubs.