Asiatic Black Bear
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Ursidae Genus: Ursus Species: U. thibetanus
Binomial name
Ursus thibetanus (G. Cuvier, 1823)
Thibetanus bear range
Synonyms
Selenarctos thibetanus

The Asiatic Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus or Selenarctos thibetanus), also known as the Tibetan black bear, the Himalayan black bear, or the moon bear, is a medium sized, sharp-clawed, black-coloured bear with a distinctive white or cream "V" marking on its chest. It is a close relative of the American black bear with which it is thought to share a European common ancestor. Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive either in the present day or the future. ... Image File history File links Status_iucn2. ... This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it. ... The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species and can be found here. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ... Typical Classes See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ... Subclasses & Infraclasses Subclass †Allotheria* Subclass Prototheria Subclass Theria Infraclass †Trituberculata Infraclass Metatheria Infraclass Eutheria Mammals (class Mammalia) are warm-blooded, vertebrate animals characterized by the production of milk in female mammary glands and by the presence of: hair, three middle ear bones used in hearing, and a neocortex region in... Families 17, See classification The diverse order Carnivora (IPA: or ; from Latin carō (stem carn-) flesh, + vorāre to devour) includes over 260 species of placental mammals. ... For other meanings, see Bear (disambiguation). ... Species Ursus arctos Ursus americanus Ursus maritimus Ursus thibetanus,or Selenarctos thibetanus Asiatic black bear might be classified with Kinowagma belonging Selenarctos. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Georges Cuvier Baron Georges Léopold Chrétien Frédéric Dagobert Cuvier (August 23, 1769–May 13, 1832) was a French naturalist and zoologist. ... 1823 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... In scientific nomenclature, synonyms are different scientific names used for a single taxon. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ...

Size

The Asiatic black bear grows to approximately 130 to 190 cm (4¼ to 6¼ ft) in length. Males weigh between 110 and 150 kg (240 to 330 lb) and females weigh between 65 to 90 kg (140 to 200 lb). The bear's life span is around 25 years.

Range and habitat

The Asiatic Black Bear has a wide distribution range spanning from the east to west of the Asian continent. This bear can be found in the forests of hilly and mountainous areas in East Asia and South Asia, including South Korea, North Korea, Afghanistan, Pakistan, northern India, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan, Burma, southern Siberia in Russia, northeastern China, Taiwan and Japan. It can be found in areas with elevations as high as 4,700 m (9,900 feet), but in lower lands as well. In some parts of its range, the Asiatic black bear shares its habitat with the larger and stronger brown bear (Ursus arctos). However, the smaller black bear has an advantage over its competitor: its climbing skills which help it reach for fruit and nuts in the trees. Asiatic Black Bears share Giant Panda habitat in China's Wolong Reserve, where they feed occasionally, among other things, on bamboo, which is their more specialized relatives' favorite food. The Asiatic Black Bear type that is found in Taiwan is the Formosan Black Bear subspecies. World map showing the location of Asia. ... East Asia Geographic East Asia. ... Map of South Asia (see note on Kashmir). ... , Sikkim (also Sikhim) (DevanāgarÄ«: सिक्किम  ) is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayas. ... “Siberian” redirects here. ... Binomial name Ursus arctos Linnaeus, 1758 Ursus arctos range map. ... Panda Bear redirects here. ... Trinomial name Ursus thibetanus formosanus Swinhoe, 1864 The Formosan Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus formosanus), also known as the white-throated bear, is a wild black bear and a subspecies of the Asiatic Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus). ... This article is about the zoological term. ...

Diet

The Asiatic Black Bear is an omnivore which consumes a great variety of foods including fruit, berries, grasses, seeds, nuts, invertebrates, honey and meat (fish, birds, rodents and other small mammals as well as carcasses). The Asiatic Black Bear is thought to be somewhat more carnivorous than its American cousin. Nevertheless, meat only makes up a small part of its diet. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Behavior

The bear has been known to be quite aggressive towards human beings (more so than the American black bear); there have been numerous records of bear attacks and killings. This is probably mainly due to the fact that the Asiatic Black Bear is more likely to come into contact with people, and will often attack if startled.

Status

The Asiatic Black Bear pictured here in the Gangtok Zoo.

The Asiatic Black Bear is listed as vulnerable on the World Conservation Union's (IUCN's) Red List of Threatened Animals. It is threatened mainly by deforestation and habitat loss. The bears are also killed by farmers due to the threat they pose to livestock, and they are also unpopular for their habit of stripping bark from valuable timber trees. The Himalayan Black Bear is native to the Himalayan mountains. ... The Himalayan Black Bear is native to the Himalayan mountains. ... Gangtok   (Nepali/Hindi: गंगटोक) is the capital and largest town of the Indian state of Sikkim. ... The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species. ... Deforestation is the conversion of forested areas to non-forest land use such as arable land, pasture, urban use, logged area, or wasteland. ...

Asiatic Black Bears are also threatened by hunting, especially for their gall bladders to obtain bile, which is used in traditional Chinese medicine. Since China outlawed the poaching of native bears in the 1980s, bear bile has been supplied to Chinese consumers by special farms, where the bears are kept constantly caged and restrained while catheters inserted in their gall bladders allow bile to drip into a container and be collected. Supporters of this practice contend that, without these farms, the demand for bear bile would create a tremendous incentive for poaching and put the already endangered species at even greater risk. Critics, however, assert that the practice is patently cruel and inhumane, and that synthetic bear bile, ursodeoxycholic acid, is just as medicinally effective as real bear bile, and in fact much cheaper. A bile bear in Huizhou Farm, Vietnam. ... Information in this article or section has not been verified against sources and may not be reliable. ... A bile bear in Huizhou Farm, Vietnam. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...

Subspecies

• Formosan Black Bear, Ursus thibetanus formosanus, or Selenarctos thibetanus formosanus - in Taiwan
• Ursus thibetanus gedrosianus, or Selenarctos thibetanus gedrosianus - in Iran and Pakistan
• Ursus thibetanus japonica, or Selenarctos thibetanus japonica - in Japan
• Ursus thibetanus laniger, or Selenarctos thibetanus laniger - in Afghanistan and southeast Iran and southern China
• Ursus thibetanus mupinensis, or Selenarctos thibetanus mupinensis - in southwestern China
• Ursus thibetanus thibetanus, or Selenarctos thibetanus thibetanus - in Himalaya and Indochina
• Ursus thibetanus ussuricus^{[verification needed]}, or Selenarctos thibetanus ussuricus^{[verification needed]} - in Southern Siberia, northeastern China and Korean peninsula

Trinomial name Ursus thibetanus formosanus Swinhoe, 1864 The Formosan Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus formosanus), also known as the white-throated bear, is a wild black bear and a subspecies of the Asiatic Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus). ...

See also

• Bile bear

A bile bear in Huizhou Farm, Vietnam. ...

References

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species and can be found here. ... The World Conservation Union or International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Ursus_thibetanus

Wikispecies has information related to:

Ursus_thibetanus

• ARKive - images and movies of the Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus)
• Animals Asia Foundation
• San Francisco Chronicle article - Freeing China's Caged Bile Bears
• Press Conference on Animal Welfare, Sponsored by the State Council Information Office (12/01/2006)
• MoonBears.org