# 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.

*By YPB Team · Published September 19, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/what-is-the-best-bear-species*

---

## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Polar Bear** — score 1000/1000
   The largest land carnivore on earth, a sea-ice hunter that can pass 1,500 pounds.
2. **Giant Panda** — score 643/1000
   A bear that gave up meat for bamboo and became the world's most recognisable conservation symbol.
3. **Sun Bear** — score 500/1000
   The smallest bear, a Southeast Asian tree-climber with a tongue long enough to raid deep honeycombs.
4. **Asiatic Black Bear** — score 423/1000
   The moon bear, named for the pale crescent across its chest, found from Iran to Japan.
5. **Sloth Bear** — score 423/1000
   A shaggy Indian termite specialist that vacuums insects out of mounds through a gap in its front teeth.
6. **Spectacled Bear** — score 333/1000
   South America's only bear, marked by pale rings around the eyes and living high in the Andes.
7. **Grizzly Bear** — score 227/1000
   The North American brown bear, a salmon-fishing omnivore that can put on four pounds a day before hibernation.
8. **American Black Bear** — score 227/1000
   The most numerous bear on the planet, and the one most North Americans actually meet.

Tags: nature, animals, bears, species