How many teeth does an adult bear have?

An adult bear typically has 42 teeth. The standard bear dental formula is I 3/3, C 1/1, P 4/4, M 2/3, meaning the upper and lower jaws contain different numbers of incisors, canines, premolars, and molars on each side.

The front teeth help bears bite and tear food, while their large canines are useful for defense and handling meat. Their broad, rounded molars are suited to crushing and grinding, reflecting the flexible diets of most bear species. Depending on the species, bears may eat fruit, roots, insects, fish, meat, and other foods.

The number 42 is the conventional answer for a normal adult bear, but individual teeth can be reduced, rudimentary, missing, worn, or lost with age. Some species and references therefore report a range rather than exactly 42. The sloth bear is a notable exception in traditional descriptions of bear dentition, and polar bears may also be described with variable tooth counts.

Another common mix-up is confusing bears with adult humans, who normally have 32 teeth. The bear figure refers to the typical full dental formula for the family Ursidae.