Bears belong to which mammalian order?

Bears belong to the mammalian order Carnivora.

Carnivora is a large order of placental mammals whose members share evolutionary adaptations associated with meat-eating, although many species now have broad or specialized diets. Bears occupy the order’s caniform, or dog-like, branch alongside dogs, mustelids, raccoons and pinnipeds.

The order includes two major living suborders: Feliformia, containing cats, hyenas and their relatives, and Caniformia, containing dogs, bears, mustelids and seals. This classification explains why a bear’s closest relatives are not necessarily other large predators such as big cats.

The name Carnivora can cause a common misunderstanding. Giant pandas eat overwhelmingly bamboo, and several other bears consume fruit, insects, roots or fish. Order names describe evolutionary relationships, not a strict menu. Bears remain carnivorans because of their ancestry and anatomy, including distinctive teeth and skull features inherited from meat-eating ancestors.

The order’s modern name was introduced by Thomas Edward Bowdich in 1821, while bears had already been recognized as the family Ursidae.