Are pandas actual bears

Sorry for the dumbest question ever, but my friends were having a mega argument that pandas weren't bears, that they were a type of bear but not an actual bear.
I honestly think it's ridiculous but I'm curious.
So are pandas bears, a category of bears, or not a bear at all? O.o

G'day Mina,

Thank you for your question.

Yes they are and it isn't a dumb question. According to the Great bear foundation,

"Is the giant panda more like a bear or a raccoon? They certainly look bearish, but they have a few unusual features that have caused confusion, and led people to believe the panda was not a bear for many years. After almost a century of debate, scientists were finally able to test the genes from pandas and determine that they are actually a species of bear. "

Regards

The giant panda is the most basal member of the bear family, Ursidae, according to molecular data, which means all other bears share a more recent common ancestor with each other than with the giant panda. It is considered a member of the bear family because it shares many morphological features with other bears that are not shared by more distant relatives, such as seals, weasels, raccoons, and dogs.

"Bears have big heads, round ears, small eyes that face forward, very short tails, and stocky legs. They are plantigrade, walking on the heels and soles of their feet like humans do. Each paw has five curved claws that are not retractable, or cannot be pulled back."

For those who are morphologists, here are a number of characters common to bears:

"The following synapomorphic (derived) traits set bears apart from related families:

* presence of an alisphenoid canal
* paroccipital processes that are large and not fused to the auditory bullae
* auditory bullae are not enlarged
* lacrimal bone is vestigial