Bears
Beasts of Many Furs
Soft breathing fills a dark cavern as the creature inside sleeps through the cold winter, the fat it had packed on in the summer months insulating and powering the curled body through the chilliest days. As the days begin to lengthen again, the sleeping creature will emerge from its hibernation, walking the world to begin the cycle again, one of feeding and sleeping as the weather allows. Even locked in this cycle, the creature that had slept the winter away emerges strong and ready, standing as the pinnacle of predators in many of its habitats.
Short but sharp claws climb trees, dig holes, and hold on to sustenance as a variety of these creatures, each of different sizes, shapes, and colors, move through the world, each attuned to the habitats that they call home. While the variety of their species is numbered, their range is large, covering nearly every habitable area of the continents and islands between. They often live as the king of predators, making their homes where food and shelter abound, but carving out places where they will not be bothered and can live a somewhat solitary life.
Bears are a common predator found in both the Northern and Southern Continents, although the types of bears found in each place vary widely. Each bear is unique in color, stature, and needs, although all bears share some similarities. Even the smallest of bears are large creatures, making anyone think twice before crossing their path.
Basic Information
Coaldust Bear
Coaldust Bears are the most common species of bear found throughout Vóreios. Their small size, dexterity, and keen eyesight make them suited for a wide variety of terrains and habitats.
Anatomy
Bears range greatly in size from smaller bears, such as Zenith Bears and Masked Bears, to larger creatures such as the Dire Bears. Less than ten species of bears exist throughout the world, and while they have their differences, all bears have some similar unifying traits. These creatures are generally bulky animals with short, thick limbs that make them stronger, rather than faster. Their front legs are used for digging, turning over rocks and trees, taking down large creatures, and otherwise catching prey. Females are often smaller than the males, with a distinctive difference in size. Bears also have short tails and small, round ears that are meant to prevent heat loss, but what sets them apart from other animals, especially carnivores, is the lack of whiskers as well as their ability to see in color.Genetics & Reproduction
Bears have few subspecies throughout the world, although a variety of "new" subspecies are often reported. It is common for these creatures to have genetic mutations that change their fur color, but little else about them, making non-Scholars assume there are new species. In very few instances have the genetic color changes of bears warranted the discovery of a new subspecies. Because of this misunderstanding, bears are some of the most studied mammals in the world, including the subspecies that live in remote or otherwise unstudied locations. Coaldust Bears are the most heavily studied, due to the three distinct color variants that have warranted the naming of new subspecies.Additional Information
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Even with a limited number of subspecies, bears can be found in nearly every part of the world, including places such as the Neither Tundra, Spine of Kallex, and the Djinn Ruins, which are considered places that do not support a great number of fauna. If there are places to build dens and plentiful prey or forage, bears will make their homes, often chasing out other predators in the process.
Some types of bear share the same range, but it depends on individual bears whether or not different types will share territory. Coaldust Bears and Dust Bears can often be found in similar areas, but the difference in their diets allows these two to live together rather peacefully.
Dust Bear
Dust Bears are commonly found throughout Vóreios, including the Great Plains where few creatures other than Dinosaurs live. They are one of the largest bear species in the world.
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