Mammals of the WorldAsian Black Bear
Ursus thibetanus
- Order
- Carnivora
- Family
- Ursidae
- Genus
- Ursus
- IUCN status
- VU
- Distribution
- Iran|Afghanistan|Pakistan|India|Nepal|Bhutan|Bangladesh|Myanmar|Thailand|Laos|Vietnam|Cambodia|China|Taiwan|Russia|Japan|North Korea|South Korea
- Realm
- Palearctic
Other names: Himalayan Black Bear|Moon Bear|White-breasted Bear
About this species
- Size
- Length 120–190cm; shoulder 70–100cm
- Weight
- Males 60–200kg; females 40–125kg
- Diet
- Omnivorous: fruit, nuts, acorns, shoots, insects, honey, carrion and eggs
- Habitat
- Forested hills and mountains, up to about 3,500m in summer in the Himalayas
- Litter size
- 1–4 cubs, usually 2
- Gestation
- 200–240 days
The Asian black bear, or moon bear, is a medium-sized bear with black fur, a light brown muzzle and a whitish or cream patch on the chest, which is often V-shaped. The bell-shaped ears are large for a bear and stick out sideways, and the tail is short. It is lighter and smaller than the brown bear, with larger, more mobile lips. It is well adapted to climbing and spends much of its life in trees, breaking branches to make platforms it feeds from (Wikipedia, general species account).
It is distributed from south-eastern Iran, Pakistan, South Asia and the Himalayas to mainland Southeast Asia, the Korean Peninsula, north-eastern China, the Russian Far East and East Asia. Across its range it is mainly active by day but turns nocturnal near people. It does not hibernate over most of its range; in colder northern areas some bears do, and others move to lower ground, though nearly all pregnant females den through winter. Sows give birth in winter or early spring after 200–240 days, and cubs stay with the mother for 2–3 years.
Description: Wildlife of Korea guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)