ASIATIC BLACK BEARS

 

A Bear of Many Names: The Asiatic black bear's scientific name, Ursus thibetanus, literally means "moon bear of Tibet". This bear is also commonly called the Tibetan black bear, the Himalayan black bear, Formosan black bear, collared bear or the white-breasted bear due to its crescent-moon-shaped patch of white hair on its chest.

Photo credited Henson Robinson Zoo

Population and Distribution:
The Asiatic black bear can be found in numerous areas, but their populations are extremely disjointed and have been declining in numbers. They can still be found in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Taiwan, China, Mongolia, Russia, and possibly Malaysia. Unfortunately, the Asiatic black bear population is threatened by habitat destruction and uncontrolled harvesting. The bile and gallbladders of these bears are highly sought after for their medical use in oriental countries to reduce inflammation and fight fevers. Currently, there are no solid population numbers. There are very few areas that have legal protection for the Asiatic black bear and even fewer that are enforced.

Habitat:
The Asiatic black bear favors thickly forested areas in the hill and mountains and moist tropical forests below alpine levels. During the summer period, the Asiatic black bear can be found at altitudes of 1,000 feet. Their typical territory ranges from four to eight square miles, but depends drastically upon available food sources. In other words, the less concentrated the food supply, the larger the area that the Asiatic black bear must travel to obtain the necessary food to survive. Unfortunately, not a great deal of information is known about specific territorial habits of the Asiatic black bear, but has been assumed in the past that it is similar to that of the American black bear.

Vital Statistics:
Adult males weight ranges from 220 to 480 pounds.
Adult females weight ranges from 110 to 275 pounds.
Average weight is between 200-255.
The weight is highly variable depending on the climate conditions and food availability.
Asiatic black bear are typically four to six feet tall.
Birth weight on average is 10.5 ounces.
Life span is up to 30 years.

Physical Characteristic:
The Asiatic black bear is often compared to the American black bear, but is has a especially distinct white colored patch, typically in the shape of a V on it's chest. The ears of an Asiatic black bear are pronounced and are farther apart from each other then the American black bear. Their heads are large and round. Overall, their bodies are stocky and they have strong forelimbs and sharp, short claws designed for tree climbing. Their claws are only one to two inches in length, but this helps make the Asiatic black bear an excellent tree climber. In fact, the Asiatic black bear is the only known bear species to hibernate and give birth in a tree. The coat of the Asiatic black bear is primarily black and exceptionally dense. Their mane is pronounced, surrounds their head and can be as long as 6 inches. Besides the patch on the chest, the only other white color is on the muzzle. Just as other bears do, the Asiatic black bear walks in a plantigrade motion, which means that both the toe and heel contact the ground.

Diet and Food Sources:
Like most other wild animals, the Asiatic black bear favors foods that yield the most dietary value, with the least amount of energy required to acquire the foods. Basically, they prefer to eat meat. It has been forced to eat plants, berries, insects, invertebrates, small vertebrates, and carrions, due to changes in their habitat largely caused by human invasion. Seasonal climate and geographical location are also principal factors that determine their food sources. There are also places like, Japan where other mammals are not available as a food source. Overall, the Asiatic black bear will eat anything that is edible. Unfortunately, in many areas farmers loathe them for killing their domestic animals.

Reproduction:
Due to the lack of information on the Asiatic black bear in the wild, only a modest amount of information is known about the reproduction at this time. Most of the information gathered is from observing zoo animals. The breeding seems to take place in late April to early June over a period of one to two days. This does vary dramatically from region to region. In Pakistan, the mating seasons take place in the fall. And mating has been observed from March to December. The Asiatic black bear usually does not begin breeding until three to four years of age. The female will go in search of a den during winter or early spring depending on their breeding season, normally trying to find a rock cavity or hollow tree. On average, two cubs weighting about 8-10.5 ounces are born. Many bear species have what is referred to as, delayed implantation. This means that the divided ovum floats freely in the uterus for quite a few months before is attaches to the uterus to continue development. This process is suspected to occur in the Asiatic black bear because of the longer period between breeding and birth. In the first few weeks after birth, the cubs develop quickly on the rich milk of their mother. The cubs are typically weaned at six months, but will stay with their mother for two to three years. Females usually do not breed the next season, when they have first-year young.

Hibernation:
Not all Asiatic black bear will hibernate every year, but those that live in the northern hemisphere do. The Asiatic black bears in the southern regions may hibernate for shorter periods of time or simply move down to lower elevations where they can feed without interruption. Typically, the bears will enter a den in November and reemerge in late March or early April. As with all bear species that hibernate, the Asiatic black bear will eat larger amounts of food and gain excess weight before they go into hibernation. Once cold and snowy weather begins the bears go through a metabolic change, which prepares them for their hibernation period. Hibernation is a necessity for these bears to survive long stretches without proper food sources to maintain body mass. The Asiatic black bear will begin looking for a den in a cave, hole in a dense brush pile, tree cavity or hollow log, once they stop eating and begin to loose energy. During hibernation the Asiatic black bear's heart rate will drop from 40-70 beats per minute to 8-12 beats per minute. Its metabolism will also drop by about half. One thing that differs from many other animals that hibernate, the Asiatic black bear's body temperature will only decrease by about five to nine degrees Fahrenheit or three to seven degrees centigrade. Hibernation causes the Asiatic black bear to lose a significant amount of body weight. A male will lose between 15%-30% of his body weight and a female will lose up to 40% of her body weight when she has cubs. Bears have developed a unique process that allows them to recycle their urea and use it as functional proteins. So during hibernation bears will not pass urea or fecal matter.

 

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