Arctic and Antarctic don’t mean anything about actual bears. They are named after the Ursa Major constellation. The absence of bears in Antarctica is a coincidence.
Ursa Major means "the great bear“, though. Being named after something that’s named bear counts in my book as well as those of all but the worst pedants.
The absence of bears in Antarctica is a coincidence.
That’s what the secretly hyper-intelligent penguins who scared away the polar bears WANT you to think!
See also: Eurasian Brown Bear (Ursus arctos arctos)
Ursus is Latin for bear and arctos is Greek for…bear.
It’s the bear bear bear!
Bonus fun fact: Arctic means “the place with bears” and Antarctic means “the place without bears”
I think you have it the wrong way around. Ursus is Latin and arctos is Greek.
Oops! I really should be 💯 on it by now since it’s been one of my favorite facts for several years 😄
Anyways, thanks for the correction, I’ll go ahead and edit it 😁
Arctic and Antarctic don’t mean anything about actual bears. They are named after the Ursa Major constellation. The absence of bears in Antarctica is a coincidence.
But isn’t Ursa Major a bear?
no, she’s a major general in the forces, you hippie!
They are, in fact, the very model of a modern major general!
They have information vegetable, animal and mineral!
Dammit, beat me by 5 minutes! I tip my hat to you, good sir/madam/other 👌🎩
Lunar’s the loony, I’M the hippie!
Would you say that she’s the very model of a modern Major General, or would that be going too far?
Yes, it means “The great bear” or “The big bear”.
Ursa Major means "the great bear“, though. Being named after something that’s named bear counts in my book as well as those of all but the worst pedants.
That’s what the secretly hyper-intelligent penguins who scared away the polar bears WANT you to think!
You’re fucking kidding me
I’m renaming the arctic from now on
Bearritory