What do you call a polar bear? Threatened? Endangered? Or overhyped and overprotected? It all depends on where you're standing. Bears, a small group of mostly large omnivorous mammals, can be found all over the world; they live in forests, mountains, tundra, deserts and grassy areas. Though there are different types of bear, all bear species have similarities. They all have stocky, fur-covered bodies; short legs; and a round head with a long snout.

There are eight species of bear: American black bear, Asiatic black bear, brown bear, giant panda bear, polar bear, spectacled bear, sloth bear and sun bear, according to the International Association for Bear Research & Management.

Size & appearance Asiatic black bears have a distinctive, white, V-shaped patch on their chests. Sloth bears have similar patches, as well as light-colored muzzles. Sun bears have a crescent-shaped marking on their chests that looks like a rising sun. Spectacled bears, also called Andean bears, get their name because of the white circular markings around the eyes. Brown bears, despite their name, come in many colors, from light cream to almost black, according to the San Diego Zoo. Similarly, American black bears can be black, as well as chocolate and cinnamon brown, causing some people to confuse them with brown bears. Giant pandas are noted for their striking black-and-white coloration.

Polar bears, with distinctive white fur, are the largest bears. An adult male polar bear can grow to be 3.5 to 5 feet long (1 to 1.5 meters) and usually weighs between 775 and 1,200 lbs. (351 to 544 kilograms). The smallest bear is the sun bear. It grows to be 4 to 5 feet long (1.2 to 1.5 m) and weighs 60 to 150 lbs. (27 to 68 kg).

Habitat Brown bears are found in more places than any other bear species. They live in northwestern North America, the Atlas Mountains of northwestern Africa, northern Asia, Europe and the Middle East. There are several subspecies of brown bears. Brown bears found in coastal Alaska are called Kodiak or Alaskan brown bears. The Alaskan Peninsular brown bear lives only on the western tip of the Alaskan peninsula, as its name implies. In the interior of North America, brown bears are sometimes called grizzly bears because their fur has white or tan tips. ("Grizzly" means "sprinkled or streaked with gray.") [Related: Image Gallery: Best of Bears] American black bears live only in North America, and spectacled bears are found only in South America. Asiatic black bears are found all over Asia. The sloth bear is also found in Asia, particularly in India, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka, but may have disappeared from Bangladesh.

Habits Many bears in the Northern Hemisphere hibernate when the weather is cold. Hibernation is a deep sleep that allows a bear to live without food for long periods of time. Brown bears, for example, spend four to six months sleeping in their dens, according to the San Diego Zoo. Their temperature drops slightly, their heart rate slows and their bodies use stored fat to stay alive.

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