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islands are more closely related to polar bears than they are to other brown bears in the world. Researchers Gerald Shields and Sandra Talbot of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Institute of Arctic Biology studied the DNA of several samples of the species and found that their DNA is different from that of other brown bears. The researchers discovered that their DNA was unique compared to brown bears anywhere else in the world. The discovery has shown that while all other brown bears share a brown bear as their closest relative, those of Alaska's ABC Islands differ and share their closest relation with the polar bear. There is also the very rare Tibetan Blue Bear, which is a type of brown bear. This animal has never been photographed.

Koalas are often referred to as bears due to their appearance; they are not bears, however, but marsupials.

Classification

* Family Ursidae

• Subfamily Ailuropodinae
  • Giant Panda, Ailuropoda melanoleuca
  • Dwarf Panda, Ailuropoda minor†
• Subfamily Tremarctinae
  • Spectacled Bear, Tremarctos ornatus
  • Florida Cave Bear, Tremarctos floridanus†
  • Giant Short-faced Bear, Arctodus simus†
  • Unnamed short-faced bear species, Arctodus pristinus†
  • Brazilian Short-faced Bear, Arctotherium brasilense†
  • Argentine Short-faced Bear, Arctotherium latidens†
• Subfamily Ursinae
  • Brown Bear, Ursus (Ursus) arctos
    • Subspecies Syrian (Brown) Bear Ursus arctos syriacus
    • Subspecies Grizzly Bear, Ursus arctos horribilis
    • Subspecies Kodiak Bear, Ursus arctos middendorffi
    • Subspecies Himalayan Brown Bear or Himalayan Red Bear, Ursus arctos isabellinus
    • Subspecies Himalayan Blue Bear, Ursus arctos pruinosus
    • Subspecies Bergman's Bear, Ursus arctos piscator†?
    • Subspecies Eurasian Brown Bear Ursus arctos arctos
    • Gobi bear, Ursus arctos gobiensis (very rare)
    • Atlas Bear, Ursus arctos crowtheri†
  • American Black Bear, Ursus (Ursus) americanus
    • Subspecies Cinnamon Bear, Ursus americanus cinnamomum
    • Subspecies Kermode Bear, Ursus americanus kermodei
  • Polar Bear, Ursus maritimus
    • Subspecies Ursus maritimus tyrannus†
  • Asian Black Bear, Ursus thibetanus
    • Formosan Black Bear, Ursus thibetanus formosanus
    • Ursus thibetanus gedrosianus
    • Ursus thibetanus japonicus
    • Ursus thibetanus laniger
    • Ursus thibetanus mupinensis
    • Ursus thibetanus thibetanus
    • Ursus thibetanus ussuricus
  • Sloth Bear, Melursus ursinus
    • Subspecies Sri Lankan Sloth Bear Melursus ursinus inornatus
    • Subspecies Indian Sloth Bear Melursus ursinus ursinus
  • Sun Bear, Helarctos malayanus
    • Subspecies Borneo Sun Bear Helarctos malayanus euryspilus
  • Auvergne Bear, Ursus minimus†
  • Etruscan Bear, Ursus etruscus†
  • European Cave Bear, Ursus spelaeus†
  • MacFarlane's Bear, Ursus (Vetularctos) inopinatus (cryptid; if an authentic species, extinct)
  • Deninger's bear, Ursus deningeri†