Which Types of Bears Live in Russia?

Our friends in Russian sent us a few photos of bears - real bears!

Teacher Irina and Teacher Anna also sent us some additional details about bears. You can read an excerpt below from www.ExpressToRussia.com or click on this link if you are curious to learn more. It may even make you think about someday planning a trip to Russia!

You may be wondering what kind of bears live in Russia. And why are bears a symbol of Russia, anyway?

Which types of bears live in Russia?

• Common: So numerous are the Eurasian Brown Bears in Siberia’s forests that they are simply referred to as “the common bear”. Plain, ol’ brown bears, they certainly aren’t however; they have the largest brains out of all terrestrial carnivores and, until the 20thcentury, could often be seen strolling round the streets of Russia playing musical instruments or smoking pipes with their trainers. 
• Giant: Thanks to the bountiful streams of Russia’s Far East, the Kamchatka Bears are some of the world’s largest. Weighing up to 700kg, they can reach double the size of an average Brown Bear. 
• Pitch-Black: On the borders of China and Russia roams a mythical bear. In the past, tribes used to worship it and to this day, Ussuri Bears have a close connection with humans—in the literal, not spiritual sense. 
• Snowy-White: Polar Bears were all over the Russian news in 2019 when over 50 of them invaded a Russian village. Generally, however, they are furtive creatures with very little known about them. 

Since the 16th century the bear has been the ultimate symbol of Russia. Representing both the good—strength, power and sheer might—and the bad—ferocity and club-footedness—it’s perhaps the only accurate likeness of the enigma that is Russia. Over the years it’s played many roles in Russian society; from an all-wise spirit god to be worshipped to a first-class fool, forced to drink wine and wear babushka scarves, to a symbol of wealth, ruthlessly hunted for its pelt, paws and organs. Though the accounts of early medieval European travelers (which sparked the myth that Russia was a country overrun with bears) may not have been wholly true, there is truth in the fact that the bear is an integral part of Russian culture.