Bears live in many parts of the world, from thick forests to snowy mountains. Even though they are powerful animals, most bears try to avoid people. Knowing a few facts about bears can help us understand how they live—and how we can stay safe while protecting their habitats.
There are several kinds of bears, including black bears, brown bears (also called grizzly bears in North America), and polar bears. Black bears are usually smaller than brown bears and can be many colors, not just black. Brown bears often have a hump of muscle on their shoulders that helps them dig for food. Polar bears are the largest bears and are built for life in cold places, with thick fur and a layer of fat to keep them warm.
Bears are omnivores, which means they eat both plants and animals. Many bears enjoy berries, nuts, roots, and grasses. They also eat insects and fish, and some bears may hunt small animals. A bear’s strong sense of smell helps it find food from far away. Because bears are always looking for food, they may wander into campsites or neighborhoods if they smell trash, pet food, or birdseed.
In places with cold winters, some bears spend months in a state called hibernation. Before winter, they eat extra food to store fat in their bodies. During hibernation, their heart rate and breathing slow down, and they use stored energy to survive. However, hibernation is not the same for every bear. Some bears wake up once in a while, and mother bears may give birth in their dens during the winter.
People can help bears by keeping wild areas clean and by storing food the right way when camping. Using bear-proof containers, locking up trash, and never feeding wild animals can prevent bears from coming too close to humans. When we respect bears and their space, we help them stay wild—and we help keep people safe, too.
Luther had moved with his family from New York City to a small town. His new house was very different from the old apartment. In the city, Luther could hear his neighbors’ voices through the walls, but now his neighbors were a bike ride away over a bumpy road. He used to walk to school, but now he was picked up by a yellow school bus.
As the new kid in school, every day brought change—and for a long time, there was no one to tell.
But one day in March, he was waiting for the bus to go home when a couple of classmates, Josh and Billy, walked over. “Hi, Luther,” Josh said, “have you ever gone camping?”
Luther hesitated. “No… Why?”
“Well, it’s spring vacation next week, and Billy and I were wondering what you are doing.”
The question took Luther by surprise. Back in the city, he would hang with his friends on school holidays. They rode skateboards in the park. They sat on the stoops and rhymed. But here he didn’t have any real school friends and he had no idea how he would spend his time.
“I don’t know,” Luther replied.
“See, every year, Billy and I go camping with our families during spring break,” Josh explained. “We go with two carloads of friends.”
Luther wished he knew enough people here to fill one car.
“Yeah, I’m coming with my brother,” added Billy, “and my cousin, Paul.”
Luther only had one cousin, Charlie, his favorite relative, who had just arrived from Tennessee to visit their new house. Maybe Luther would spend spring break watching TV with Charlie.
Then Josh asked, “Hey, Luther, want to join us?”
“It’ll be fun,” Billy added.
This time, Luther didn’t hesitate or take time to think, but immediately responded, “Sure.”
“Great!” Billy and Josh exclaimed at exactly the same time.
But on the way home, Luther reconsidered. He had never been camping. Sleeping outside in the dirt in the dark woods did not sound like fun. New York City had sidewalks of good, solid cement, and buildings with tall front steps where he could quickly get inside if there was trouble—and there was always someone nearby to ask for help if he needed it. But out in the wild? What about bears? If a bear came to his tent, where could he go? He couldn’t call 911 or yell for the brothers on the corner who kept the neighborhood safe. By saying yes so quickly, had he made a mistake?
Luther arrived home and rang the doorbell for his mom to let him in, but instead Charlie opened the door wide.
“Hey, my man, what’s up?” Charlie said, grinning.
“I’m good,” Luther responded, but his face showed something else.“
You look bothered to me,” Charlie replied.
Luther blurted out what had been bubbling inside him since he left the schoolyard: “I’m at this new school where the kids do all kinds of different things. Today, two of them asked me to go camping with them and I said yes, but I didn’t mean it.”
“Wait up, now, Luther,” Charlie said. “They want you to go camping? Those were some of the best times I ever had.”
“I don’t know, Charlie, it sounds dirty and cold to me,” Luther replied.
“It could be, but think about it this way: You make a fire with your buddies. You sleep in a sleeping bag. You go fishing with a pole.”
“What about the poor fish?” Luther asked.
“Some people eat them. Some people throw them back. Camping lets you figure out how you want to act. It’s real freedom,” Charlie answered.
“And… well, what about the bears?”
“Bears won’t bother you if you don’t bother them! We can just lock up our food, no big deal.” He saw Luther’s skeptical expression, then continued. “Hey, don’t focus on the scary uncomfortable things… think about how fun it’ll be to get outside and try something new! Plus, camping’s in our blood… Don’t you know that our family boasted some of the best cowboys in the South—and that cowboys are always out camping?”
“No, I never heard about that,” Luther said.
“Well, I’m going to tell you all about it, like Grandpaw told me when I was your age,” Charlie responded. “I remember sitting near the campfire with him and watching the stars. We would tell each other all kinds of stories, made-up and real. Grandpaw told me all these stories about our family way back when. They rode horses and slept outside.”
“That is pretty cool, I guess. Maybe I’ll let my friends know what you said… or would you be up to telling them about it?” Luther asked.
“I have a better idea,” Charlie retorted. “If your mom agrees, and it’s okay with your friends’ parents, I’d like to come with you. How’s that sound?”
“Would you really?” Luther said, excitedly. “It’s with Josh and Billy and their families, and the trip is next week.”
“We’ll, I’ll be here, so that sounds good, and it would turn my visit into a real special experience,” Charlie answered.
Luther smiled wide. The camping trip was really going to be fun, after all.
Where did Luther and his family move to from New York City?
How does Luther feel after saying he’ll go camping with Josh and Billy?
Read the following sentences from the text.
“‘Wait up, now, Luther,’ Charlie said. ‘They want you to go camping? Those were some of the best times I ever had.’
‘I don’t know, Charlie, it sounds dirty and cold to me,’ Luther replied.
‘It could be, but think about it this way: You make a fire with your buddies. You sleep in a sleeping bag. You go fishing with a pole.’
‘What about the poor fish?’ Luther asked.
‘Some people eat them. Some people throw them back. Camping lets you figure out how you want to act. It’s real freedom,’ Charlie answered.”
What conclusion can you draw from this evidence?
Why is Luther excited about going camping in the end?
What is one main theme of this story?
How did Luther feel after Charlie's advice?
My náanaa k’ayáa (great-grandmother) would always say, “Sing loud, dagwáang (dear one), so the bears know it’s our turn.”
We always listened to our elders, because they have a lot of wisdom.
“When the táan (black bear) hear us singing our songs, they will leave us alone,” great-grandmother told us. “They respect us and we respect them. When it is their turn to pick berries, we leave them alone, too.”
My family is from the Haida tribe. Every summer, my grandmother, mom, auntie, siblings, cousins and I visited our great-grandmother in our very remote Haida village of Hydaburg in southeastern Alaska. I loved to visit my village. My favorite part was playing with my friends and cousins at the river. Oh, and hearing my elders laugh!
In our village, everyone lives humbly and takes care of each other, sharing whatever they catch from the ocean: salmon, shrimp, crabs, herring roe on kelp, seal, sea otter. Elders always receive their shares first. That’s just the way it has always been. And the children serve the elders. Somehow, this practice helps bring balance among the generations.
I remember one summer day during berry-picking month when I was about 10 years old. The weather was warm and sunny, which helped the berries ripen. We all could smell the sweetness in the air as we grabbed our berry baskets, put on our rubber boots, and headed out to the wild berry patches around our village.
On the way there, we crossed the bridge over the river where the chíin (salmon) were still spawning. There were so many salmon, it looked as if you could cross the whole river just walking on their red backs!
We saw a sGáan (killer whale) family swimming by. One breached, as if to say “hello!” We all yelled “AAY YO!” The killer whales swim and hunt in between the many islands that protect our village from the strong winds of náng síigaay (the ocean). We heard the tsáak (eagle) and yáahl (raven) singing their songs and having bird-talk conversations.
Our náanaa k’ayáa would teach us how to dance and sing like the animals in and around our village. We spread our arms out like the wings of the eagle. We hopped about curiously, looking around, like the raven. We put one hand on our foreheads like a dorsal fin and make the “woosh” sound, like the orca’s. Or we crouched down like the bear and growled, putting our hands up to show our claws.
For each dance we did, our great-grandmother taught us special Haida songs. She knew many languages: in addition to her native tongue, Haida, she spoke Chinook, Tlingit, Tsimshian, Russian, and English. Náanaa k’ayáa was proud to teach our language to her nine children and many generations of grandchildren.
Finally, we arrived at the berry patch. There were so many types of berries to choose from: salmonberries, huckleberries, smile berries, blueberries, thimble berries, gooseberries. As we picked (and ate!) the berries, we sang many songs so the bears could hear us. When our berry baskets were overflowing, we went back to the house of náanaa k’ayáa to make lots of jam to share and to last throughout the cold months. And we froze some berries for later, which náanaa k’ayáa served with súugaa (sugar) and cream. Yum!
Gathering food, preparing food, sharing food—these were some of the many ways my náanaa k’ayáa expressed her love for us. She taught us how to take care of ourselves and each other. She taught us many stories and songs.
She taught us how to respect creation.
Who is náanaa k’ayáa?
What is the narrator describing in this story?
Read the following sentences from this story.
“‘When the táan (black bear) hear us singing our songs, they will leave us alone,’ great-grandmother told us. ‘They respect us and we respect them. When it is their turn to pick berries, we leave them alone, too…’
Our náanaa k’ayáa would teach us how to dance and sing like the animals in and around our village. We spread our arms out like the wings of the eagle. We hopped about curiously, looking around, like the raven. We put one hand on our foreheads like a dorsal fin and make the “woosh” sound, like the orca’s. Or we crouched down like the bear and growled, putting our hands up to show our claws.”
What can you conclude about the relationship between people in this Haida village and the animals who live in their environment?
What is one value that the narrator learns from her náanaa k’ayáa and the Haida community?
What is the main idea of this text?
Read the following sentences from the text.
“In our village, everyone lives humbly and takes care of each other, sharing whatever they catch from the ocean: salmon, shrimp, crabs, herring roe on kelp, seal, sea otter. Elders always receive their shares first. That’s just the way it has always been. And the children serve the elders. Somehow, this practice helps bring balance among the generations.”
What does the word balance most closely mean as it’s used here?
What do bears usually try to do around humans?
What helps brown bears dig for food?
What do bears eat besides plants?
What do bears do during hibernation?
What do bears look for that might attract them to campsites?
How can people help bears stay safe?