Animal Facts - Bears
Family sub-groups and characteristics
Although the 8 bear species belong to the same family, 6 of them look more like each other and 2 of them look quite different from all the others.
This may be because they evolved into 3 family sub-groups:
- Sub-group: Spectacled Bear
- Sub-group: Giant Panda
- Sub-group: Sloth Bear, American Black Bear, Asian Black Bear, Sun Bear, Polar Bear, Brown Bear.
Scientists think this sub-group evolution started about 12 million years ago with the Spectacled Bear, followed by the Giant Panda about 8 million years ago.
The Sloth Bear evolved about 7 million years ago and the American and Asian Black Bears about 6 million years ago.
The Sun Bear evolved about 5 million years ago and the Polar Bear and Brown Bear between 300,000 and 400,000 years ago.
