Pictures and facts about the Asiatic black bear

Asiatic black bear

Order : Carnivora
Family : Ursidae
Subfamily : Ursinae
Species : Ursus thibetanus

The Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) (or Moon bear, Tibetan black bear or the Himalayan black bear) can be found in moist forests and brushland in countries ranging from Russia, Korea, Taiwan, Afghanistan, India, China and Japan. It is omnivorous and its diet consists of fruits, berries, etc., honey and meat (fish, birds, and small mammals). It is a little bit more carnivorous than its American cousin, the American black bear, and it is less strong than the brown bear. It is threatened by deforestation and habitat loss. Until the 1980's the Asiatic black bears were also hunted in the wild for their gall bladders which are used in Chinese medicine. Since China outlawed the poaching of the bears, the gall bladders are supplied by special farms in China which provide bile by caging and restraining the bears while catheters are inserted in their gall bladders allow bile to drip into a container. Recently, European parlement passed a resolution to put pressure on China to ban these farms, because of the inhumane and cruel handling of these animals. It can be argued that without these farms the supply for bear bile would not meet demand, causing more illegal poaching of the already endangered bears. Synthetic bile may be the solution?

Facts about the Asiatic black bear

The Asiatic Black Bear is dark brown and black in color. (Full text)

The Asiatic Black Bears are also called: Tibetan black Bears, Himalayan black Bears, moon Bears. (Full text)

The Asiatic Black Bear is highly prized on the black market and that it why it is constantly being hunted. (Full text)

The Asiatic Black Bears are listed by the IUCN as critically endangered. (Full text)

DISTRIBUTION Asiatic black bears are found over a wide area of southern Asia. (Full text)

Description: The Asiatic black bear is a medium sized bear with a body length of 50 to 74 inches and weighing between (Full text)

Diet: Asiatic black bears are omnivorous eating insects, small mammals and birds, carrion, bee nests, and fruit. (Full text)

The asiatic black bears are not as widely studied as the other bears, so very little information is available about their relative size and other (Full text)

The diet of the asiatic black bear is quite diverse. (Full text)

The Asiatic black bear is omnivorous, eating insects, fruit, nuts, beehives, small mammals, and birds, as well as carrion. (Full text)

The Asiatic black bear ( Ursus thibetanus ) is most impacted through the demand for bile. (Full text)

Asiatic black bears are also known as “moon bears” because they (Full text)

Ursus thibetanus is (Full text)

American black bears and Asiatic black bears are considered to be sister taxa; they are more closely related to each other than to any other living bear species. (Full text)

Asiatic, or Tibetan, black bear, Ursus thibetanus, is in many ways very similar to its cousin, the American black bear, even though the two species have evolved separately for over three million years. (Full text)

Diet: Asiatic black bears are omnivorous eating insects, small mammals and birds, carrion, bee nests, and fruits and nuts. (Full text)

StatisticsWEIGHT220-440 lbLENGTH50-74 in Description: The Asiatic black bear is a medium sized bear. (Full text)

Moon bears -- or Asiatic black bears -- are medium sized, stocky bears averaging 140 - 165 centimeters (4. (Full text)

Ursus thibetanus is also listed on Appendix I of the Convention on the Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which bans international trade. (Full text)

Physical Appearance The Asiatic black bear is a medium sized bear. (Full text)

The Asiatic black bear is often compared to the American black bear, but is has a especially distinct white colored patch, (Full text)

Asiatic Black Bear - The Asiatic black bear is found throughout Asia and the Middle East. (Full text)

Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) : is found in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Iran, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam. (Full text)