LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Bears
built 185 days ago
Bears are bulky animals with wide shoulders, a short back, short and thick legs, broad paws, and a short tail. They have an elongated head, rounded ears that stand straight up, small eyes, and a long snout. Bears hunt for food using an acute sense of hearing. Bears may have the best sense of smell of any mammal—some can detect odors up to a mile or more away. Bear eyesight is probably similar in acuity (sharpness) to human vision. Black bears, and likely other bears, have color vision, which helps them identify ripe fruits and nuts.
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Bears have been hunted since prehistoric times for their meat and fur. To this day, they play a prominent role in the arts, mythology, and other cultural aspects of various human societies. In modern times, the bear's existence has been pressured through the encroachment of their habitats and the illegal trade of bears and bear parts, including the Asian bile bear market. The IUCN lists six bear species as vulnerable or endangered, and even "least concern" species such as the brown bear are at risk of extirpation in certain countries. The poaching and international trade of these most threatened populations is prohibited, but still ongoing.
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Bears have four limbs that end in paws. Each paw has five long, sharp claws that are unretractile—unlike cats, bears are not able to retract their claws. Depending on the species, these claws may be used to climb trees, rip open termite nests and beehives, dig up roots, or catch prey. Bears walk differently than most carnivores, which tend to walk on their toes in a way that is adapted for speed. Like humans, bears have a plantigrade stance, walking with their weight on the soles of their hindfeet, with the heel touching the ground, while the toes of the forefeet are used more for balance. This distribution of weight toward the hindfeet gives bears a lumbering gait.
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Bears usually have a big body with short and thick legs. They only have a very short tail. They have small eyes and round ears. They usually have longer, shaggy fur. On each foot they have five claws, which they cannot pull back. They have very good senses of smell and hearing.
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"Holiday sales of Care Bears merchandise in 2002 topped $85 million," Brown added. "Since then, they've shown they have true staying power. Sales of the products remain high this year, and many new licensees have come on board. The Care Bears are evolving into a true, classic juvenile property because their fundamental values of sharing and caring for others really resonate with parents."
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Bears in northern climates reproduce seasonally, usually after a period of inactivity similar to hibernation, although tropical species breed all year round. Cubs are born toothless, blind, and bald. The cubs of brown bears, usually born in litters of 1–3, will typically stay with the mother for two full seasons. They feed on their mother's milk through the duration of their relationship with their mother, although as the cubs continue to grow, nursing becomes less frequent and learn to begin hunting with the mother. They will remain with the mother for approximately three years, until she enters the next cycle of estrus and drives the cubs off. Bears will reach sexual maturity in five to seven years.
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Bears