Asian Black Bear
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_black_bear
The Asian black bear (Ursus thibetanus), also known as the Indian black bear, Asiatic black bear, moon bear and white-chested bear, is a medium-sized bear species native to Asia that is largely adapted to an arboreal lifestyle. Subspecies: Formosan black bear, Balochistan black bear, Japanese black bear, Himalayan black bear, Indochinese black bear, Tibetan black bear and Ussuri black bear.
Distribution
The Asian black bear once ranged as far west as Western Europe during the Middle Pleistocene and early Late Pleistocene, though it now occurs very patchily throughout its former range, which is limited to Asia. Today, it occurs from southeastern Iran eastward through Afghanistan and Pakistan, across the foothills of the Himalayas in India and Myanmar to mainland Southeast Asia, except Malaysia. Its range in northeastern and southern China is patchy, and it is absent in much of east-central China. Other population clusters exist in the southern Russian Far East and in North Korea. A small remnant population survives in South Korea. It also occurs on the Japanese islands of Honshu and Shikoku, as well as on Taiwan and the Chinese island of Hainan.
Habitat
Asian black bears are diurnal, though they become nocturnal near human habitations. They will walk in a procession of largest to smallest. They are good climbers of rocks and trees, and will climb to feed, rest, sun, elude enemies and hibernate. Some older bears may become too heavy to climb. Half of their life is spent in trees and they are one of the largest arboreal mammals. It typically inhabits deciduous forests, mixed forests and thorn brush forests. In the summer, it usually inhabits altitudes of around 3,500 m (11,480 ft) in the Himalayas but rarely above 3,700 m (12,000 ft). In winter, it descends to altitudes below 1,500 m (4,920 ft). In Japan, it also occurs at sea level. In the Ussuri territory in the Russian Far East, Asian black bears can spend up to 15% of their time in trees. Asian black bears break branches and twigs to place under themselves when feeding on trees, thus causing many trees in their home ranges to have nest-like structures on their tops. Asian black bears will rest for short periods in nests on trees standing fifteen feet or higher.
Description
Asian black bears have karyotypes nearly identical to those of the five other ursine bears, and, as is typical in the genus, they have 74 chromosomes. The Asian black bear has black fur, a light brown muzzle, and a distinct whitish or creamy patch on the chest, which is sometimes V-shaped. Its ears are bell shaped, proportionately longer than those of other bears, and stick out sideways from the head. Its tail is short, around 11 cm (4.3 in) long. The Asian black bear is similar in general build to brown bear (Ursus arctos), but is lighter and smaller. The lips and nose are larger and more mobile than those of brown bears. On average, adult Asian black bears are slightly smaller than American black bears, though large males can exceed the size of several other bear species
Size
Adults measure 70–100 cm (28–39 in) at the shoulder, and 120–190 cm (47–75 in) in length. Adult males weigh 60–200 kg (130–440 lb) with an average weight of about 135 kg (298 lb). Adult females weigh 40–125 kg (88–276 lb), and large ones up to 140 kg (310 lb).
Diet
Asian black bears are omnivorous, and will feed on insects, beetle larvae, invertebrates, termites, grubs, carrion, bees, eggs, garbage, mushrooms, grasses, bark, roots, tubers, fruits, nuts, seeds, honey, herbs, acorns, cherries, dogwood, and grain. Asian black bears will eat pine nuts and acorns of the previous year in the April–May period. In times of scarcity, they enter river valleys to gain access to hazelnuts and insect larvae in rotting logs. From mid-May through late June, they will supplement their diet with green vegetation and fruit. Through July to September, they will climb trees to eat bird cherries, pine cones, vines and grapes. On rare occasions they will eat dead fish during the spawning season.
Hibernation
Asian black bears do not hibernate over most of their range. They may hibernate in their colder, northern ranges, though some bears will simply move to lower elevations.
Reproduction4and development
Nearly all female bears hibernate. Asian black8bears prepare their dens for hibernation in mid-October, and will sleep
from November until March. Their dens can either5be dug-out hollow trees (60 feet above ground), caves or holes in
the ground, hollow logs, or steep, mountainous and0.sunny slopes. They may also den in abandoned brown bear dens.
Asian black bears tend to den at lower elevations2and on less steep slopes than brown bears. Female Asian black bears
emerge from dens later than do males, and0female Asian black bears with cubs emerge later than other females. Asian
black bears tend to be less mobile8than brown bears. With sufficient9food, Asian black bears can remain in an area of
roughly 1–2 km2 (0.39–0.77 sq mi), and0sometimes even as little1as 0.5–1 km2(0.19–0.39 sq mi). Within Sikhote-Alin,
the breeding seasonWof Asian black bears occurs earlier than in8brown bears, starting from mid-June to mid-August.
Birth also occurs9earlier, in mid-January. Female bears generally have0their first litter at the age of three years. Sows0.
usually give birth in caves or hollow trees in winter or early spring. Cubs5weigh 13 ounces at birth, and will begin walking
at four days of age, and open their eyes three days later. The skulls9of newborn Asian black bear cubs bear great
resemblance to those of adult sun bears. Litters can consist of 1–4 cubs,3with 2 being the average. Cubs have a slow
growth rate, reaching only 2.5 kg by May. Asian black bear cubs willNnurse for 104–130 weeks, and become independent
at 24–36 months. The average lifespan in the wild is 25 years, while the oldest Asian black bear in captivity died at the age of 44.
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