Bears

Get to know the hungry, hibernating furballs of the animal kingdom—from pandas, polar bears, and grizzlies.

Latest in Bears

a polar bear cub clings to its mother

24 beautiful images from the World Nature Photography Awards 2026

By Popular Science Team

a polar bear mother closes her eyes while laying down with two cubs. one cub is biting the other's cheek

11 cool photos to celebrate International Polar Bear Day

By Popular Science Team

A large brown bear rests in a snowy den, its fur dusted with fresh white snow. Only the bear's head and upper back are visible as it huddles at the entrance of a dark opening nestled under evergreen branches. The bear's eyes are closed, appearing to be in a deep sleep or state of torpor.

No, bears don’t actually hibernate

By Andrew Coletti

A young lynx playfully throws a rodent into the air before killing and devouring it.

16 astonishing images from the 2026 Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards

By Popular Science Team

She-bear and bear-cubs. Adult female of Brown Bear (Ursus arctos) with cubs on the snow in spring forest.

Facial recognition AI trained to work on bears

three polar bear cubs resting on their mother

Svalbard polar bears are doing surprisingly well (for now)

By Laura Baisas

a large brown bear in italy

Bears in Italy inbreed more, but are less aggressive

By Margherita Bassi

a mother polar bear walking on ice with two cubs behind her

Rare polar bear adoption could save cub’s life

By Laura Baisas

A warning sign is seen at the closed walking trail to the observatory in the Shirakawago district, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Japan deploys army to fight bears

Security camera footage of bear entering grocery store in Japan

Bears have attacked over 100 people in Japan since March

an emperor penguin looks through a camera while its baby looks on

15 breathtaking images from the Nature Photography Awards

By Popular Science Team

A polar bear mom and cub on sea ice, off the coast of Svalbard, Norway.

See the first moments when 3 polar bear cubs emerge from their den

By Laura Baisas

Artwork depicting 16th century bear baiting match

Gruesome bear fights once entertained Elizabethan England

A polar bear still hunting on the sea ice of Hudson Bay, Manitoba, Canada.

How do polar bears keep ice off their fur? Grease.

By Laura Baisas

a bird with white and black plummage and an egg on a nest and three other birds standing around her

Which animals reproduce at the oldest age?

By Laura Baisas

Side by side of nature camera and brown bear

How the Fat Bear Week crew gets that beautiful bear footage

a bear lays flat on its belly on a rocky beach with its legs projected backwards

It’s sploot season: Animals strike a pose to chill out

By Popular Science Team

Grazer looking chunky and getting ready for winter on September 14, 2023. The bear is in the river intensely staring for salmon.

Fierce mama Grazer takes 2023’s Fat Bear Week crown

By Laura Baisas

Grizzly bear mom and cubs crossing road in Yellowstone National Park

Grizzlies are getting killed by roads, but the risks are bigger than roadkill

Black bear cub in a berry bush at Glacier National Park

Bears can count, take selfies, use tools, recognize supermodels, and even open car doors

By Ruscena Wiederholt