Common Questions About Bears

  1. What are the words for male and female bears?

    2. Male bears are called "boars" and female bears are called "sows".
  2. Are bears related to pigs?

    3. Some people think they are, because of the names for the males and females. However, pigs and bears are only related as far as they are both mammals and followed that evolutionary path. They are no more related than pigs and dogs or cats are.
  3. What is a group of bears called?

    4. A sloth of bears. One could say, "I was at McNeil River and saw a sloth of bears fishing."
  4. Do bears have baby and adult teeth?

    5. Of course! Nearly all mammals go through a phase in their life when they have baby (or "Milk" teeth), and they lose those and grow adult teeth.
  5. Do bears "hoot"?

    6. No. Apparently, there is an urban legend in the Northeastern United States that the black bears there "hoot". I've done a lot of research into it and cannot find anything more than anecdotal support for it. This myth is especially common in Vermont.