Asiatic Black Bear
Order: Carnivora
Family: Ursidae
Genus and Species: Ursus thibetanus
A mid-sized black bear with an extensive range but troubled future.
Physical Description: The Asiatic black bear looks much like the American black bear, but has wider, more pronounced ears and a distinctive white or cream "V" on its chest. Strong forelimbs and sharp claws help this husky animal climb trees.
Size: Asiatic black bears grow four to six feet long. Males weigh from 220 to 480 pounds, while females range from 110 to 275 pounds.
Geographic Distribution: Asiatic black bears have an extensive but now-disjunct range. In south Asia, they are found from Afghanistan, Pakistan, northern India, Nepal, and Bhutan east to Vietnam and northeast China. To the north, they live in southeast Russia, on Taiwan, and on the Japanese islands of Honshu and Shikoku.
Status: The Asiatic black bear is listed as vulnerable on the World Conservation Union's (IUCN's) Red List of Threatened Animals.
Habitat: Asiatic black bears generally live in temperate mountain forests, and also frequent brushy areas. They occur as high as 9,900 feet, but are also found in lowlands.
Natural Diet: Depending upon the season and availability, Asiatic black bears take advantage of a variety of foods, primarily from plants. In fall, they fatten themselves on acorns, chestnuts, walnuts, and other fat-rich resources. They climb trees to get these foods, as well as picking them from the forest floor. In spring, new plant growth provides a bounty for the bears, which seek out bamboo, raspberry, hydrangea, and other plants. They also raid rodents' caches of acorns or collect those left on the forest floor from the previous fall. Other plants offer food in summer, including raspberries, cherries, and grasses. Insect food, especially ants, augments the summer diet. Asiatic black bears will eat carrion, and sometimes attack livestock.
Reproduction: Asiatic black bears do not usually breed until three or four years old. In the north, breeding season begins in early summer; young are usually born in the mothers' winter dens. However, this schedule varies. In Pakistan, for instance, mating may take place in fall. Young stay with their mothers for two to three years, and females with first-year young do not usually breed the next season.
Life Span: Asiatic black bears have lived more than 30 years in zoos. However, their longevity in the wild is unknown.
Behavior: Many Asiatic black bears migrate seasonally, spending warmer months at higher elevations, then descending during colder months. During the fall, bears living in disturbed areas that lack sufficient acorns and other foods may raid nearby farms, killing trees and eating corn. During the coldest months, they usually retreat to a den in a hollow tree or cave. Depending upon elevation and latitude, bears may sleep up to five months (in Japan). In the southern parts of their range, Asiatic black bears may not den during the winter.
A Few Asiatic Black Bear Neighbors:
Brown bear (Ursus arctos): Asiatic black bears and brown bears share habitat in many areas. The smaller black bear has an advantage over its larger competitor thanks to its climbing skills, which help it reach nuts and fruit high in the trees.
Nutcracker (Nucifraga caryocatactes): A jay-sized crow relative that lives in Eurasian coniferous forests, feeding on pine seeds, hazel nuts, insects, worms, and on occasion the eggs and young of other birds.
Yellow-throated marten (Martes flavigula): This squirrel-sized weasel relative climbs trees and feasts on young birds, eggs, rodents, frogs, and also honey and fruit.
Fun Facts:
The Asiatic black bear is the American black bear's closest cousin. Both are thought to have evolved from a common European ancestor.
Asiatic black bears share giant panda habitat in China's Wolong Reserve, where they feed, among other things, on bamboo—their more specialized relatives' favorite food.
During their fall feeding frenzy, Asiatic black bears snap tree branches as they climb trees looking for food. The popping sounds can be heard across the valleys where bears occur. The bent-back branches provide crude platforms for the tree-feeding bears.
By Howard Youth
ZooGoer 28(2) 1999.
Copyright 1999 Friends of the National Zoo.
All rights reserved.
