It is a close call, but the polar bear is generally considered the largest bear on Earth. A close second is the brown bear, specifically the Kodiak bear. The Kodiak is a subspecies of the brown bear native to Alaska.
The consensus among experts is that the polar bear is the largest, but some believe the Kodiak bear to be larger. Part of the dissension comes from the vagueness of the word "largest." The answer really depends on how "largest" is defined - Heaviest? Longest? Largest ever recorded?
The following data, taken from Gary Brown's Great Bear Almanac (New York, 1993), compares the average measurements of the polar and brown bear.
| Polar Bear | Brown Bear | |
|---|---|---|
| Average Weight of Mature Male | 900-1,500 pounds | 500-900 pounds |
| Heaviest Recorded | 2,210 pounds | 2,500+ pounds |
| Average Length of Mature Male | 8-8.4 feet | >7-10 feet |
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