What is the best bear species?

Eight living species, and six of them are on the threatened list. Size, teeth and diet all point to different winners.

1. 1
   Polar Bear

   The largest land carnivore on earth, a sea-ice hunter that can pass 1,500 pounds.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Giant Panda

   A bear that gave up meat for bamboo and became the world's most recognisable conservation symbol.
   643pts
3. 3
   Sun Bear

   The smallest bear, a Southeast Asian tree-climber with a tongue long enough to raid deep honeycombs.
   500pts
4. 4
   Asiatic Black Bear

   The moon bear, named for the pale crescent across its chest, found from Iran to Japan.
   423pts
5. 5
   Sloth Bear

   A shaggy Indian termite specialist that vacuums insects out of mounds through a gap in its front teeth.
   423pts
6. 6
   Spectacled Bear

   South America's only bear, marked by pale rings around the eyes and living high in the Andes.
   333pts
7. 7
   Brown Bear

   The most widespread bear, from Alaska's grizzlies to Kamchatka's giants, a salmon-fishing omnivore that can put on four pounds a day before hibernation.
   227pts
8. 8
   American Black Bear

   The most numerous bear on the planet, and the one most North Americans actually meet.
   227pts

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