Гималайский (белогрудый) медведь

lat. Ursus thibetanus

This bear is also known as the Tibetan black bear or the Himalayan black bear, this Asian bear has a similar appearance to its better-known American relative (the American black bear, Ursus americanus). The size differs between males and females. Males typically weigh 110 to 150 kg, while females weigh 65 to 90 kg. The head and body measure 120 to 180 cm in length, while the tail is an additional 6.5 to 10.6 cm. The head is large and rounded, and the eyes are small. The ears are large and are set farther apart than on an American black bear. The body is heavy, the legs are thick and strong, and the paws are broad. The stance is plantigrade. The tail is short and is barely visible under a long, coarse coat. The black pelage has a light beige to white “V” shape on the chest area, a small beige to white colored crescent across the throat, and a small spot of white on the chin. The white fur on the muzzle seldom reaches the orbits of the bear. Found through much of southern Asia, from Afghanistan to Taiwan. Also found in northeastern China, far eastern Russia and Japan.

Asian black bears live in moist forests, on steep mountains, and in areas where the vegetation is thick. They live at higher elevations in the summer, and descend during the winter. Occasionally, they come out of the forests to forage on plains.
Little is known about the natural ecology and behavior of the Asian bear. Their diet varies depending on the season but, in common with most other bears, they are predominately herbivorous feeding on acorns, beech and other nuts as well as fruits and berries. These bears spend around half of their time in the trees, and construct platforms from branches and vegetation upon which they rest and feed. Females give birth to a litter of around 2 cubs in the safety of a winter den, often located within a tree hollow. Cubs stay with their mother for 1 to 1.5 years but, with the exception of these groupings, Asiatic black bears are fairly solitary. At the northern extreme of its range (in Russia for instance), black bears may go into hibernation to survive the cold winters and spend winter in a den, although further to the south, bears migrate to warmer areas and thus avoid the need for hibernation.

Asian bear (Himalayan Bear, Ursus thibetanus) classified as Vulnerable (VU - A1cd) on the IUCN Red List 2002 and listed on Appendix I of CITES.

Go to asian black bear picture gallery.