Bear Anatomy

[brotherbear]

Great Bear Almanac by Gary Brown.
Skulls.
Polar Bear: Large; small in proportion to body; long; snout long ( warms air ); Roman nose; large eyes.
Brown Bear: Massive; heavily constructed; large in proportion to body; high forehead ( steeply rising ); concave ( dished face ); domed head; long muzzle; flar nose tip; ears barely observed as bumps; eyes tiny.
American Black Bear: Broad, narrow muzzle; large jaw hinge; female head may be more slender and pointed.
Asiatic Black Bear: Large; sloping forehead.
Sloth Bear: Thick; long muzzle; small jaws; bulbous snout; wide nostrils.
Sun Bear: Wide and flat ( unbearlike ); short muzzle.
Spectacled Bear: Wide; short muzzle; lower jaw shorter than upper ( overbite ); unusual skull shape; resembles giant panda; young and females skulls narrow and long.
Giant Panda: Massive; wide; zygomatic arches widely spread; constructed for attachment of powerful jaw muscles; short muzzle. 
 
Diet and other eating habits have influenced the individual development of the heads and skulls of each species. "Head shape and size... are influenced by dentition and jaw muscles," write Paul Shepard and Barry Sanders in 'The Sacred Paw'..."skulls are shaped to anchor the appropriate muscles. Because of the heavy jaw muscles it ( spectacled bear ) uses for crushing palm nuts, its skull shape is unusual, rather resembling that of the giant panda, which has massive molars for grinding bamboo shoots."
Brown bears normally do not bite to kill, but have grinding, crunching teeth with massive muscles to accomplish the task. Polar bears are more carnivorous than other bears, and do bite to kill; their skulls are specifically shaped for the appropriate teeth and muscles to hold, chop, and slash their prey. Each of the eight bear species has its own distinctive skull shape and size. Reply