Unusual bears

Bears are extraordinary creatures that fascinate researchers and nature lovers. A white bear, possibly a new species with brown or black fur, has been discovered in the Shennongjia forests in China. A giant Irkut, similar to a polar bear, has been observed in Kamchatka. Additionally, Canadian hunter Stan Bergman killed a giant black bear that may be related to the Arctodus simus, a prehistoric species. Unusual brown and white pandas, the result of genetic mutations, have also appeared in the Qvin Ling Mountains in China.

CHINESE WHITE BEAR - A white bear inhabiting the Shennogija Forest in Hubei Province, China. Fur color is brownish or black. Probably a new species.

IRKUIEM - a gigantic, polar-like white bear that inhabits the Kamchatka Peninsula in Siberia.

BERGMAN'S BEAR - Stan Bergman, a hunter from Canada, killed a huge black bear similar to Irkuiem, which, like him, was incomparably larger than other bears.

Siberian folklore features many such creatures. Russian hunters demanded Bergman show them the animal's body and suggested it might be related to Arctodus simus , a bear that inhabited North America 10,000 years ago.

SEPIA PANDA - Among the famous black-and-white mammals, the giant panda, Ailuropoda melanoleuca, stands out. Recently, however, unusual brown-and-white specimens have appeared, exclusively in the Qvin Ling Mountains in China's Shanxi Province.

In the 1980s, biologist Pan Wenshi captured a female panda with sepia-colored fur and donated her to the Xi'an Zoo. On August 31, 1989, the female gave birth to a normal black-and-white male, named Bao Bei. Four months after his birth, zookeepers were astonished to find his fur changing from black to brownish. Because Qvin Ling is an isolated area with few pandas, the brown-and-white specimens can be considered mutants, the result of inbreeding, which exposed the effects of the mutant gene.