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Evolution
and Taxonomy of the Black Bear
What
is the scientific name of the American black bear?
The scientific name of the American black bear
is Ursus americanus.
Are
bears related to pigs?
While
the terms boar and sow are used in both species to refer to males and
females respectively, bears and pigs are not closely related; at least
no more so than seals are related to tigers or hyenas are related to weasels.
All are members of the Order Carnivora, as bears are. The fossil record
indicates that bears evolved from "dog-like" animals, thus the
Family most closely related to Ursidae would be Canidae
(the dogs). The bears' family tree looks like this:
Kingdom — Animalia
Phylum — Chordata
Class —
Mammalia
Order — Carnivora
Family — Ursidae
Genus
— Ursus
Species — americanus
Of
the eight bear species alive today, which are most closely related to
the American black bear?
The Family Ursidae
is divided into several sub-family groups. The
giant panda and the spectacled bear each belong to its own distinct sub-family,
so they are the least closely related to the American black bear. The
six remaining bears all belong to the Sub-Family Ursinae.
Within the sub-family Ursinae, the sloth bear and the sun
bear have their own distinct genera (or genus)
so they too are slightly removed from the American black bear, though
not as far removed as the panda and spectacled bears. The remaining four
bears all belong to the genera (or genus)
Ursus. So the brown bear, Asiatic black bear, and polar
bear are all closely related to the American black bear. This diagram
will illustrate the relationship of the various bear species:
Is
the koala a bear?
The
koala is actually a marsupial, an animal that carries its young in a pouch
until they are fully developed. Early settlers in Australia mistakenly
called it a bear due to its appearance.
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