Ursus thibetanus (Cuvier, 1823)
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.5714493 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5714777 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/039D8794-F66E-C760-90BA-7EE8FBF2F6F0 |
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Conny |
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scientific name |
Ursus thibetanus |
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Asiatic Black Bear
French: Ours a collier / German: Kragenbér / Spanish: Oso negro asiatico
Other common names: Himalayan Black Bear, Moon Bear, White-breasted Bear, Asian Black Bear
Taxonomy. Ursus thibetanus Cuvier, 1823 View in CoL ,
Sylhet region (presently divided between Assam India and Bangladesh).
Previously included in genus Selenarctos = moon bear. Some subspecies have been corroborated as distinct genetic clades (formosanus, japonicus, ussuricus). Seven subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution.
U. t. thibetanus Cuvier, 1823 — Nepal, NE India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam.
U. t. formosanus Swinhoe, 1864 — Taiwan.
U. t. gedrosianus Blanford, 1877 — SE Iran, C & S Pakistan.
U. t. japonicus Schlegel, 1857 — Japan.
U. t. laniger Pocock, 1932 — Himalayas from Afghanistan to N India (Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh & Uttarakhand).
U. t. mupinensis Heude, 1901 — C & S China.
U. t. ussuricus Heude, 1901 — Russian Far East, NE China, Korean Peninsula. View Figure
Descriptive notes. Head-body 110-190 cm, tail less than 12 cm; adult males are heavier (60-200 kg; rarely to 250 kg) than adult females (35-140 kg; rarely to 170 kg). Maximum weights occur in autumn, prior to hibernation. Island populations ( Japan, Taiwan) tend to be smaller-bodied than mainland populations. Ears are rounded and relatively large compared to other bears. Coat color black, typically with prominent white marking on the chest, often in the shape of a V or crescent (from which the common name “moon bear” derives), and white chin patch. However, white markings vary in size and color, sometimes being small or absent. Uncommonly the coat coloris brown (gedrosianus) or blond (rare color phase in South-east Asia). Muzzle color varies from light to dark. Typically there are long, coarse hairs around the neck, sometimes also extending to the cheeks; the extent and frequency of these characteristics varies regionally, as does overall hair length and density of underfur. Some subspecies were differentiated largely by the degree of shagginess of pelts from collected specimens. Proportional length of legs to body also varies considerably, with some individuals being quite short and squat. Both front and rear foot pads have hair separating the toes from the plantar pad, but unlike other Ursus species, the front carpal pad (corny protuberance) is connected with the plantar pad by bare skin. Front claws are about 5 cm long, slightly longer than the rear claws, and curved.
Habitat. Occupy both broad-leaved and coniferous forests, from near sea level to just above treeline (4300m in north-eastern India), and spanning from the temperate zone to the tropics. Most of range coincides with forest, especially forests with hard mast (oak or beech), but is also found in regenerating forests with berries and cultivated plantations. This species also occupies arid subtropical thorn-forests (southern Iran and Pakistan) and seasonally uses alpine meadows. In tropical South-east Asia, Asiatic Black Bears inhabit both evergreen and deciduous forests, virtually the same as the Sun Bear, except Sun Bears rarely reach into montane habitats (above 1200 m).
Food and Feeding. Foods often include succulent vegetation (shoots, roots, forbs and leaves) in spring, insects and a variety of tree and shrub-borne fruits in summer, and nuts (hard mast) in autumn. In some areas, mammalian ungulates (especially smallbodied species) may compose a sizeable portion of the diet; however, these bears rarely eat fish. Asiatic Black Bears regularly climb trees to obtain fruits, because most fruits in their range are tree-borne. In tropical regions fruit diversity is especially high. For example, in Thailand their diet includes over 80 species of tree-borne fruits, commonly including those in the cinnamon ( Lauraceae ), pea-bean (Leguminosae), mahogany ( Meliaceae ), and oak-beech-chestnut ( Fagaceae ) families. In temperate regions, where they must store fat for hibernation, hard mast, such as oak acorns, beechnuts, walnuts, chestnuts, hazelnuts, and pine nuts, is a key fall dietary component. When feeding in hard mast trees they often break branches inward toward the trunk and pile them up in the canopy forming a platform or “nest” upon which they sit. When natural forest foods are lacking, they feed in agricultural fields (corn, oats, millet, barley, buckwheat) and fruit orchards. In plantations, when food supplies are short, they strip bark and eat cambium of conifer trees, damaging the trees.
Activity patterns. Active diurnally most of the year, often with peak activity periods in morning and evening. More uniformly active, day and night, during the fall, when foods are clumped and abundant. Overall level of activity may vary seasonally, but is generally in the range of 50-60% over a 24hour period. In northern latitudes, where food becomes unavailable in winter, both sexes hibernate. They typically den November—April, but some remain in dens until the end of May (which is later than other species of bears). In the tropics, except for females giving birth during the winter, Asiatic Black Bears generally do not hibernate.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Most reported home ranges based on ground radio-tracking are 20-60 km” for adult females and twice as large for males. However, tracking is often done in remote, mountainous habitats, and bears sometimes wander beyond the tracking area, so true home ranges are likely larger than reported. Home ranges of 100-250 km® have been observed using GPS and satellite radio collars, which obtain locations anywhere the bear goes. Seasonal movements are common, corresponding with changing food conditions, by habitat or elevation. Home range overlap appears to be extensive, but studies of dispersal patterns and relatedness among neighboring bears have not been conducted. Females often avoid areas with clumped, preferred foods, which attract high densities of males.
Breeding. Breeding generally occurs duringJune—July and birthing during November— March; however, timing of reproduction is not known for all portions of the range, especially in the tropics. The full gestation period of 6-8 months includes 4-6 months of delayed implantation. Age offirst reproduction is typically 4-5 years for both sexes. Modallitter size is two cubs (range 1-3, rarely four), but the average is less than two, produced at most every two years.
Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix I. Listed as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List. The so-called Baluchistan Bear (U. t. gedrosianus), living in south-eastern Iran, and southern Pakistan, is listed as Endangered under the USA Endangered Species Act. Reliable population estimates do not exist anywhere in the range; however, two of 18 range countries estimate total populations of less than 100 ( Iran, South Korea), whereas at the other extreme, three countries estimate populations of 5000-15,000 ( India, Japan, Russia) and one ( China) estimates more than 20,000 Asiatic Black Bears. Most countries report declining populations due to habitat loss and poaching. Habitat loss from logging, agriculture, human settlements, roadways, and erosion is most severe in southern portions of the range. The species is protected throughout its range by national and international laws. Sport hunting for Asiatic Black Bears is legal only in Japan and Russia, with annual harvests of about 500 and 100 bears, respectively; however, illegalkills and nuisance kills exceed hunting kills by a factor of five or more in both countries. Bear depredations on crops and apiaries, and attacks on people, have increased throughout the range, and have led to more direct killing, using guns, poisons, and bombs that explode when bitten. Poaching also appears to be increasing, spurred by commercial demands for meat,skins, paws, and gall bladders. The demand for these products has fueled a growing network of international trade throughout South-east Asia, and has encouraged many subsistence hunters to turn to commercial hunting. Paws are sold as an expensive delicacy (made into a soup), especially in China. Bile in gall bladdersis dried and sold as a traditional Chinese medicine; it has been used as such for nearly 3000 years. To supply an increasing demand, bear farms have been established in China and Vietnam, where bile is drained from over 12,000 Asiatic Black Bears and sold commercially. This technique was originally developed in North Korea in the 1970s, and “perfected” over the years in China. Some officials assert that the increased production of bile from farming reduces poaching of wild bears; conversely, the cheaper and more available farmed bile also may encourage more use, and thus ultimately more demand for wild bile, which is considered more potent. Farmed bile is now produced in such surplus that it is incorporated into many non-traditional Chinese medicine products, such as shampoos, lotions, cosmetics, sports drinks, and toothpaste. Prompted by animal welfare-related concerns, several hundred bears have been removed from farms and taken to rescue facilities run by non-governmental organizations. However, the large total number of captive, non-releasable bears and the opinion of government officials that farming aids in the conservation of wild bears, make the situation rather intractable.
Bibliography. Bromlei (1965), Carr et al. (2002), Erdbrink (1953), Fan & Song (1997), Galbreath et al. (2000), Garshelis & Steinmetz (2007), Gutleb & Ziaie (1999), Hashimoto (2002), Hashimoto et al. (2003), Huygens & Hayashi (2001), Huygens, Goto et al. (2001), Huygens, Miyashita et al. (2003), Hwang (2003), Hwang & Garshelis (2006), Hwang et al. (2002), Izumiyama & Shiraishi (2004), Japan Bear Network (2006), Lekagul & McNeely (1991), Li (2004), Mizukami et al. (2005), Ohnishi et al. (2007), Oka et al. (2004), Pocock (1932d), Reid, Jiang et al. (1991), Sathyakumar (2001), Schaller et al. (1989), Servheen et al. (1999), Seryodkin et al. (2003), Shepherd & Nijman (2008), Steinmetz & Garshelis (2008), Stubblefield & Shrestha (2007).
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