Bear+Biology

Bear Biology

Objective: Students will learn physical characteristics of black bears (bear biology)

**Bear Sense (eyes, ears, nose)** *Show the bear skull and/or a picture of a bear head: **Activity:** What’s that smell? Place three very different smells on three tables. Give each child a cotton ball with one of thesmells and ask them to find that smell. After they select a matching smell, asktheir friends to review. Suggestedsmells: pine, cinnamon, vanilla (they should be very dissimilar) Presentation of smells: place them in a cup and cover it with a paper towel, punch small holes in the paper towel
 * Point to eyes: Tell them black bears can see in color. What color are black bear’s eyes? Yes, brown when they grow up (Show pictures of adult bears with brown eyes and have all the children with brown eyes stand up). When cubs are born they have blue eyes (show pictures and have all the children with blue eyes stand up).
 * Point to the ears: Bears’ ability to hear is good. They probably can hear twice as good as we can. Sometimes they stand up on their back legs to hear and smell.
 * Point to nose: Bear’s ability to smell is really good. They use it to tell them if there is danger and to know where their territory (their part of the forest) is. That’s right they put their smell out in their territory and other bears smell it and don’t come into their part of the forest.

Point to mouth/teeth: Bear’s do not have sharp teeth to tear meat because they eat mostly berries, grass, nut, ants, bees and caterpillars.