A bear pit was historically used to display bears, typically for entertainment and especially bear-baiting. The pit area was normally surrounded by a high fence, above which the spectators would look down on the bears.

The most traditional form of maintaining bears in captivity is keeping them in pits, although many zoos replaced these by more elaborate and spacious enclosures that attempt to replicate their natural habitats, for the benefit of the animals and the visitors.

Berlin has a bear pit, known as the Bärenzwinger, which was established in 1939 in Köllnischer Park behind the Märkisches Museum.

Another bear pit in Bern, Switzerland, known as the Bärengraben, was built in 1857, but the bears have been moved in a nearby open park next to the Aare river called the BärenPark (bear park) since October 2009.

Another meaning is for an unusually aggressive political arena, in which direct, heated attacks are common.

A bear pit also refers to a type of trap used to deter or trap bears. It usually consists of a large earthen pit with sharpened pikes in the bottom to impale the bear. They are most often used to deter bears from approaching a cabin, rather than as a means of actually catching them.

Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern Hemisphere and partially in the Southern Hemisphere. Bears are found in the continents of North America, South America, Europe, and Asia.

Common characteristics of modern bears include a large body with stocky legs, a long snout, shaggy hair, plantigrade paws with five nonretractile claws, and a short tail. While the polar bear is mostly carnivorous and the giant panda feeds almost entirely on bamboo, the remaining six species are omnivorous, with largely varied diets including both plants and animals.

With the exceptions of courting individuals and mothers with their young, bears are typically solitary animals. They are generally diurnal, but may be active during the night (nocturnal) or twilight (crepuscular), particularly around humans. Bears are aided by an excellent sense of smell, and despite their heavy build and awkward gait, they can run quickly and are adept climbers and swimmers. In autumn some bear species forage large amounts of fermented fruits which affects their behaviour. Bears use shelters such as caves and burrows as their dens, which are occupied by most species during the winter for a long period of sleep similar to hibernation.

Pit or PIT may refer to: