Bears: Bear or Not A Bear
Clip: Special | 1m 4sVideo has Closed Captions
What bear isn’t a bear?
Some things called bears aren’t actually bears. The Koala bear, the Red Panda, raccoons, bearcats and sloths are some examples. How did these creatures get mislabeled as “bears.”
Science Trek is a local public television program presented by IdahoPTV
Major Funding by the Laura Moore Cunningham Foundation and the Idaho National Laboratory. Additional Funding by the Friends of Idaho Public Television and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Bears: Bear or Not A Bear
Clip: Special | 1m 4sVideo has Closed Captions
Some things called bears aren’t actually bears. The Koala bear, the Red Panda, raccoons, bearcats and sloths are some examples. How did these creatures get mislabeled as “bears.”
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Science Trek
Science Trek is a place where parents, kids, and educators can watch short, educational videos on a variety of science topics. Every Monday Science Trek releases a new video that introduces children to math, science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) career potentials in a fun, informative way.[MUSIC] JOAN CARTAN-HANSEN, HOST: There are eight types of bears in the world.
And there are a few animals called bears who aren't actually bears.
The koala bear is not a bear.
It's a marsupial.
[BUZZER] A marsupial is known for giving birth and then raising its young in a pouch.
Kangaroos, and wallabies are other marsupials.
While panda are bears, [POSITIVE BELL] red pandas are not.
[BUZZER] Red pandas are more closely related to raccoons and weasels.
Speaking of racoons, in German, these animals are called wäschbars or wash bears.
They're called that because of a raccoon's habit of washing its food.
But raccoons are not bears.
[BUZZER] The bearcats is neither a bear nor a cat.
[BUZZER] Bearcats are more closely related to civets.
Sloth bears are bears, [BELL DINGS] but sloths are not.
[BUZZER] Sloths, like koalas, are marsupials.
And while you may never guess it, walruses are related to bears.
They share a common ancestor from about 40 to 50 million years ago.
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Science Trek is a local public television program presented by IdahoPTV
Major Funding by the Laura Moore Cunningham Foundation and the Idaho National Laboratory. Additional Funding by the Friends of Idaho Public Television and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.