European brown bear
Don't know much about European brown bears? Look no further - here's our round up for cool and quirky facts about them.
- The biggest European brown bears weigh about 680kg, which is about the same as 8 adults.
- Bears are ‘plantigrade’ animals. This means that they are able to stand on their two strong back legs for prolonged periods of time
- The name ‘brown bear’ doesn’t come from their colour at all but from a very old Middle English word, ‘bruin’, meaning simply, ‘bear’. So these are bear bears!
- Cubs are born naked and do not begin to get their first light fur until they are ten days old, which is also when they first open their eyes.
- Bears do not hibernate in the true sense, but they do often have a ‘dormant’ period during winter when they put on extra body weight, and find a warm, protected spot to use as a den through the coldest months.
Adopt Wellington and Winslow
Even though they are no longer cubs, the inseparable sisters still love to play together, especially in their pond.