Asiatic Black Bear Basics

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Asiatic black bears are primarily nocturnal feeders and sleep in a tree hole or in a cave during the daytime, but they do sometimes forage diurnally. During the autumn, their nocturnal activity increases. They shift their ranges in early autumn in order to obtain native broadleaved food species (mast crops) at lower elevations. They are powerful swimmers, and their short (2 inches, or 5.08 cm) claws make them adept tree climbers. They are plantigrade, and typically walk on four feet, but when they fight, they stand up on their two hind feet and slap their enemy with their forepaws. Asiatic black bears usually avoid man and only attack when they are wounded or trying to protect their young, but unprovoked attacks have been documented many times throughout history.

Not all Asiatic black bears hibernate, though many do. They store fat during the late summer to use during the winter months of hibernation. Some may sleep the entire winter period, while others may only hibernate for the worst periods of winter weather. Asiatic black bears behave as other bears during hibernation; they do not excrete urea or solid fecal material, instead converting the waste material to proteins. During periods of hibernation, the heartbeat drops from 40 to 70 beats per minute to 8 to 12 beats per minute, and the metabolic rate decreases by 50%. The body temperature decreases by only 3 to 7 degrees Centigrade. Due to the fact that the body temperature of U. thibetanus, as well as many other bears, does not substantially drop and the bear can be easily awakened, some ecophysiologists do not consider the bear's period of inactivity to be true hibernation. Others argue that it is true hibernation, due to the fact that the pulse rate drops by 50%.

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The territory of U. thibetanus can vary greatly, from around 6.4 or 9.7 square kiliometers to around 16.4 or 36.5 square kilometers, depending on the availability of food. The denser the available food supply is, the smaller the range.

Exceptional sight, hearing, and smell are characteristics of U. thibetanus. No studies are available as to the exact form of communication between Asiatic black bears. However, extensive research has been conducted on other members of the family Ursidae that have senses similar to those of the Asiatic black bear. Using evidence from these studies, it can be inferred that Asiatic black bears communicate vocally and use their heightened sense of hearing to aid in listening to these vocalizations. For example, when bear cubs are separated from their mothers, they make crying calls. Low guttural noises can be indications of a bear being apprehensive, and clicking the teeth together is an indication of aggressiveness.

Bears often communicate visually with each other by the way in which they move or behave in the presence of other bears; for example, the behavior of a bear can convey either dominant or subordinate status to another. To indicate subordinate status, a bear moves away, or sits or lies down. To convey dominance, a bear walks or runs towards a rival.

Bears use their acute sense of smell in order to communicate with other members of their species; they do so by urinating, defecating, and by rubbing against trees to leave their scent for other bears to detect.

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Asiatic black bears most often feed diurnally. However, their nocturnal activity increases through autumn. This occurs because the bears must increase their food intake in order to store body fat for insulation and caloric needs for use during harsh winters and hibernation. Asiatic black bears seem to be able to shift their circadian rhythm in order to obtain desired foods; for example, when raiding crops, they are more likely to do so at night in order to avoid contact with humans. Asiatic black bears posses an acute sense of smell that lets them locate grubs and other insects up to 3 feet (approximately 1 meter) below the ground. Asiatic black bears are omnivorous, though they are primarily vegetarians. A recent study showed that nuts from Fagaceae trees occupied the highest proportion of autumn foods. When food production and availability is poor, Asiatic black bears have been known to strip the bark off of trees in order to supplement their deficient diet with nutrients. Their normal diet consists of fruits, roots and tubers, as well as small invertebrates and vertebrates, and carrion. However, cases in which they eat buffalo by breaking the neck have been documented. They also eat other prey they find that tigers have killed.

Asiatic black bears have been known to eat any available food source, including the livestock and produce of farms. Their proclivity for domestic animals and crops has made humans target them, and Asiatic black bears are often killed while trying to feed.

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The main predator of U. thibetanus is the Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris). The fact that tiger kills are a favorite food of U. thibetanus leaves it susceptible to tiger attacks when the tiger returns to its kill and finds the bear feeding on the carrion.

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Asian black bear

wikideck.com/Asian_black_bear

The Asian black bear (Ursus thibetanus), also known as the 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. It lives in the Himalayas, southeastern Iran, the northern parts of the Indian subcontinent, the Korean Peninsula, China, the Russian Far East, the islands of Honshū and Shikoku in Japan, and Taiwan. It is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, and is threatened by deforestation and poaching for its body parts, which are used in traditional medicine.

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. 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).

Asian black bears are similar in general build to brown bears (Ursus arctos), but are more lightly built and are more slender limbed. The lips and nose are larger and more mobile than those of brown bears. The skulls of Asian black bears are relatively small, but massive, particularly in the lower jaw. Adult males have skulls measuring 311.7 to 328 mm (12.27 to 12.91 in) in length and 199.5–228 mm (7.85–8.98 in) in width, while female skulls are 291.6–315 mm (11.48–12.40 in) long and 163–173 mm (6.4–6.8 in) wide. Compared to other bears of the genus Ursus, the projections of the skull are weakly developed; the sagittal crest is low and short, even in old specimens, and does not exceed more than 19–20% of the total length of the skull, unlike in brown bears, which have sagittal crests comprising up to 41% of the skull's length.

Although mostly herbivorous, the jaw structure of Asian black bears is not as specialized for plant eating as that of giant pandas: Asian black bears have much narrower zygomatic arches, and the weight ratio of the two pterygoid muscles is also much smaller in Asian black bears. The lateral slips of the temporal muscles are thicker and stronger in Asian black bears.

An Asian black bear with broken hind legs can still climb effectively. In contrast to polar bears, Asian black bears have powerful upper bodies for climbing trees, and relatively weak hind legs which are shorter than those in brown bears and American black bears. They are the most bipedal of all bears, and have been known to walk upright for over a quarter of a mile. The heel pads on the forefeet are larger than those of most other bear species. Their claws, which are primarily used for climbing and digging, are slightly longer on the fore foot (30–45 mm) than the back (18–36 mm), and are larger and more hooked than those of the American black bear.

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.

The famed British sportsman known as the "Old Shekarry" wrote of how an Asian black bear he shot in India probably weighed no less than 363 kg (800 lb) based on how many people it took to lift its body. The largest Asian black bear on record allegedly weighed 200 kg (440 lb). Zoo-kept specimens can weigh up to 225 kg (496 lb). Although their senses are more acute than those of brown bears, their eyesight is poor, and their hearing range is moderate, the upper limit being 30 kHz.

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Biologically and morphologically, Asian black bears represent the beginning of the arboreal specializations attained by sloth bears and sun bears. 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. From an evolutionary perspective, Asian black bears are the least changed of the Old World bears, with certain scientists arguing that it is likely that all other lineages of ursine bear stem from this species. Scientists have proposed that Asian black bears are either a surviving, albeit modified, form of Ursus etruscus, specifically the early, small variety of the Middle Villafranchian (Upper Pliocene to Lower Pleistocene) or a larger form of Ursus minimus, an extinct species that arose 4,000,000 years ago. With the exception of the age of the bones, it is often difficult to distinguish the remains of Ursus minimus with those of modern Asian black bears.

Asian black bears are close relatives to American black bears, with which they share a European common ancestor; the two species are thought to have diverged 3,000,000 years ago, though genetic evidence is inconclusive. Both the American and Asian black species are considered sister taxa and are more closely related to each other than to the other species of bear. The earliest known specimens of Asian black bears are known from the Early Pliocene of Moldova. The earliest American black bear fossils, which were located in Port Kennedy, Pennsylvania, greatly resemble the Asian black species. The first mtDNA study undertaken on Asian black bears suggested that the species arose after the American black bears, while a second study could not statistically resolve the branching order of sloth bears and the two black species, suggesting that these three species underwent a rapid radiation event. A third study suggested that American black bears and Asian black bears diverged as sister taxa after the sloth bear lineage and before the sun bear lineage. Further investigations on the entire mitochondrial cytochrome b sequence indicate that the divergence of continental Asian and Japanese black bear populations might have occurred when bears crossed the land bridge between the Korean peninsula and Japan 500,000 years ago, which is consistent with paleontological evidence.

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Fossil record indicate that the Asian black bear once ranged as far west as Western Europe, 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.[1]

It typically inhabits deciduous forests, mixed forests and thornbrush 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.

There is no definitive estimate as to the number of Asian black bears: Japan posed estimates of 8–14,000 bears living on Honshū, though the reliability of this is now doubted. Although their reliability is unclear, rangewide estimates of 5–6,000 bears have been presented by Russian biologists. In 2012, Japanese Ministry of the Environment estimated the population at 15–20,000.[30] Rough density estimates without corroborating methodology or data have been made in India and Pakistan, resulting in the estimates of 7–9,000 in India and 1,000 in Pakistan. Unsubstantiated estimates from China give varying estimates between 15 and 46,000, with a government estimate of 28,000.

The Wildlife Trust of Bangladesh conducted an on-field survey of bears in Bangladesh from 2008 to 2010 that included Asian black bears. The survey was done in 87 different places, mostly in the north-central, northeastern and southeastern areas of Bangladesh that had historical presence of bears. The survey result says that most of the areas still has some isolated small bear populations, mainly the Asian black bears. According to the survey, the most evidence found relating to bears were of Asian black bears that included nests, footprints, local sightings, etc. There are many reports on the presence of Asian black bears in the central, north-central, northeastern and southeastern parts of Bangladesh.

Although Asian black bears still occur in different parts of Bangladesh, mainly in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, the population is very small. Conservationists fear that the species will soon be extinct in the country if necessary steps to protect it are not taken in the near future.

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Three subspecies of the Asian black bear occur in China: the Tibetan subspecies (U. thibetanus thibetanus), the Si Chuan subspecies (U. thibetanus mupinensis), and the northeastern subspecies (U. thibetanus ussuricus), which is the only subspecies of bear in northeastern China. Asian black bears are mainly distributed in the conifer forests in the cold and temperate zones of northeast China, the main areas being Chang Bai, Zhang Guangcai, Lao Ye, and the Lesser Xingan Mountains. Within Liaoning province, there are about 100 Asian black bears, which only inhabit the five counties of Xin Bin, Huan Ren, Ben Xi, Kuan Dian, and Fen Cheng. Within Jilin province, Asian black bears occur mainly in the counties of Hunchun, Dun Hua, Wangqing, An Tu, Chang Bai, Fu Song, Jiao He, Hua Dian, Pan Shi, and Shu Lan. In Heilongjiang province, Asian black bears occur in the counties of Ning An, BaYan, Wu Chang, Tong He, Bao Qing, Fu Yuan, Yi Chun, Tao Shan, Lan Xi, Tie Li, Sun Wu, Ai Hui, De Du, Bei An, and Nen Jiang. This population has a northern boundary of about 50° N and the southern boundary in Feng Cheng is about 40°30" N.

In Siberia, the Asian black bear's northern range runs from Innokenti Bay on the coast of the Sea of Japan southwest to the elevated areas of Sikhote Alin crossing it at the sources of the Samarga River. At this point, the boundary directs itself to the north, through the middle course of the Khor, Anyui and Khungari rivers, and comes to the shore of the Amur, crossing it at the level of the mouth of the Gorin River. Along the Amur river, the species' presence has been noted as far as 51° N. Lat. From there, the territorial boundary runs southwest of the river's left bank, passing through the northern part of Lake Bolon and the juncture point of the Kur and Tunguska. Asian black bears are encountered in the Urmi's lower course. Within the Ussuri krai, the species is restricted to broad-leaved Manchurian-type forests. 
 
In Korea, most of the Asian black bears live in the broad-leaved forest of the alpine region, more than 1,500 meters north of Jirisan. Korean National Park Service announced on April 15, 2018, that eight mother bears gave birth to 11 babies. Six mother bears living in the wild gave birth to eight babies. Two mothers that were being taken care by the nature adaptation training center in Gurye, South Jeolla Province gave birth to three babies. Now, there are 56 Asian black bears living in the wild of Jirisan. If the Korea National Park Service releases three cubs born in natural adaptation training centers at September this year, the number of Asian black bears living in the wild will increase to 59. As a result, the restoration of the target of 50 Asian black bears, or the minimum remaining population, will be achieved two years earlier. It was a goal by 2020. Their next goal is to expand and improve the habitat and to increase the genetic diversity of the Asian black bears in Mt. Jiri.

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Asian black bears are diurnal, though they become nocturnal near human habitations. They may live in family groups consisting of two adults and two successive litters of young. 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. 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.

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. Nearly all pregnant sows hibernate. Asian black bears prepare their dens for hibernation in mid-October, and will sleep from November until March. Their dens can either be dug-out hollow trees (60 feet above ground), caves or holes in the ground, hollow logs, or steep, mountainous and sunny slopes. They may also den in abandoned brown bear dens. Asian black bears tend to den at lower elevations and on less steep slopes than brown bears. Female Asian black bears emerge from dens later than do males, and female Asian black bears with cubs emerge later than barren females. Asian black bears tend to be less mobile than brown bears. With sufficient food, Asian black bears can remain in an area of roughly 1–2 km2 (0.39–0.77 sq mi), and sometimes even as little as 0.5–1 km2 (0.19–0.39 sq mi).

Asian black bears have a wide range of vocalizations, including grunts, whines, roars, slurping sounds (sometimes made when feeding) and "an appalling row" when wounded, alarmed or angry. They emit loud hisses when issuing warnings or threats, and scream when fighting. When approaching other bears, they produce "tut tut" sounds, thought to be produced by bears snapping their tongue against the roof of their mouth. When courting, they emit clucking sounds.

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The Asian black bear's range overlaps with that of the sloth bear in central and southern India, the sun bear in Southeast Asia and the brown bear in the southern part of the Russian Far East.

Asian black bears seem to intimidate Himalayan brown bears in direct encounters. They eat the fruit dropped by Asian black bears from trees, as they themselves are too large and cumbersome to climb.

Asian black bears are occasionally attacked by tigers and brown bears. Leopards are known to prey on bear cubs younger than two years old. Packs of wolves and Eurasian lynxes are potential predators of bear cubs as well. Asian black bears usually dominate Amur leopards in physical confrontations in heavily vegetated areas, while leopards are uppermost in open areas, though the outcome of such encounters is largely dependent on the size of the individual animals.

Ussuri brown bears may attack Asian black bears.

Tigers occasionally attack and consume Asian black bears. Russian hunters found their remains in tiger scats, and Asian black bear carcasses showing evidence of tiger predation. To escape tigers, Asian black bears rush up a tree and wait for the tiger to leave, though some tigers will pretend to leave, and wait for the bear to descend. Tigers prey foremost on young bears. Some are very tenacious when attacked: Jim Corbett observed a fight between a tiger and the largest Asian black bear he had ever seen. The bear managed to chase off the tiger, despite having half its nose and scalp torn off. He twice saw Asian black bears carry off tiger kills when the latter was absent. Asian black bears are usually safe from tiger attacks once they reach five years of age. One fatal attack of a tiger on a juvenile Asian black bear has been recorded in Jigme Dorji National Park. One Siberian tiger was reported to have lured an Asian black bear by imitating its mating call. However, Asian black bears are probably less vulnerable to tiger attacks than brown bears, due to their habit of living in hollows or in close set rocks. 
 
*Note: still more information on site provided.

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No Need to Replace Himalayan Yeti with Unknown Species of Bear, Says New Study

Scientists behind a new study published in the journal ZooKeys reject a recent claim that a yet-to-be-discovered species of Himalayan bear may be the source of yeti legends.

www.sci.news/genetics/science-himalayan-yeti-unknown-species-bear-02606.html

In 2012, Prof Bryan Sykes from the University of Oxford and his colleagues from Switzerland issued a call asking scientists and bigfoot hunters to share hair samples they thought were from yeti, bigfoot, and their counterparts.

A year ago, the scientists in the course of mitochondrial DNA analysis of the samples they received claimed to have found that two Himalayan samples matched DNA of a Pleistocene polar bear (Ursus maritimus). On this basis, they concluded that a currently unknown type of bear must inhabit that portion of Asia.

Later, however, it was shown by researchers from the University of Oxford and the Natural History Museum of Denmark that a sample that matched Pro Sykes’ Himalayan ones was, in fact, from a present-day polar bear from Alaska, not from a fossil, and they hypothesized that the genetic material in the samples attributed to an unknown bear species might have been misleading because of degradation.

Prof Sykes’s group, however, has continued to maintain that their Himalayan samples must be from an unknown bear.

In the new study, Dr Eliécer Gutiérrez of Smithsonian Institution and Dr Ronald Pine of Biodiversity Institute in Lawrence have concluded that the relevant genetic variation in brown bears (Ursus arctos) makes it impossible to assign, with certainty, Prof Sykes’ samples to either that species or the polar bear.

In fact, because of genetic overlap, the samples could have come from either one. Because brown bears occur in the Himalayas, the authors stated there is no reason to believe that the samples in question came from anything other than ordinary Himalayan brown bears.

As part of the study, the team examined how the gene sequences analyzed might show the ways in which six extant species of bears, including the polar bear, the brown bear, and the extinct Eurasian cave bear (Ursus spelaeus), might be related.

The results were partly in agreement with past studies but were also showing some new insights.

“The data set resulting from studying this part of the bears’ genomes seems to be insufficient to make any definitive decisions as to what are the existing relationships on the basis of it alone,” the scientists said.

“In combination with the results of other studies, however, it may very well prove quite useful in making such decisions.”

Interestingly, it was found that one sequence from an Asian black bear (Ursus thibetanus) from Japan indicated that it was not closely related to the mainland members of that species.

This unexpected large evolutionary distance between these two geographic groups of Asian black bears probably deserves further study.

“In fact, a study looking at the genetic and morphological variability of Asian black bear populations throughout the geographic distribution of the species is yet to be conducted, and it would surely yield exciting results,” Dr Gutiérrez concluded.

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Ursus thibetanus, Asiatic black bear

animaldiversity.org/accounts/Ursus_thibetanus/

Geographic Range
Ursus thibetanus is widely distributed. Asiatic black bears can be found north of Pakistan, south of Afghanistan, east of the Himalayans, north of Vietnam, south of China, and in Thailand. (Than, et al., 1998)

Biogeographic Regions, palearctic, native, oriental, native.

Habitat
Asiatic 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. ("Asiatic Black Bears", 2004; Than, et al., 1998)

Habitat Regionstemperate tropical terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomesforest

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Range elevation
0 to 3600 m
0.00 to 11811.02 ft
_______________

Average elevation
1000 m
3280.84 ft  
 
Physical Description

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.

The skull of U. thibetanus is typical of the Suborder Caniformia, bearing a long rostrum. However, the orbits are typically smaller than those of most caniforms. The width of the mastoid rarely exceeds the length of the palate. The auditory bullae are flat. The muzzle is long and narrow, and does not extend very far over the canines. The dental formula is usually 3/3, 1/1, 4/4, 2/3 = 42. However, the premolars can sometimes be lost as the bear ages. The postcarnassial teeth are enlarged, and occlusal surfaces are adapted to crushing. Normally, there is a diastema between the premolars. The upper carnassial of U. thibetanus is triangular. ("Asiatic Black Bears", 2004; Than, et al., 1998; Lekagul and McNeely, 1988; Nowak, 1991; Czaplewski, et al., 2000)

Other Physical Featuresendothermic homoiothermic bilateral symmetry

Sexual Dimorphismmale larger

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SIZE
Range mass
65 to 150 kg
143.17 to 330.40 lb

Average mass
100 kg
220.26 lb

Range length
120 to 180 cm
47.24 to 70.87 in

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Behavior
Asiatic black bears are primarily nocturnal feeders and sleep in a tree hole or in a cave during the daytime, but they do sometimes forage diurnally. During the autumn, their nocturnal activity increases. They shift their ranges in early autumn in order to obtain native broadleaved food species (mast crops) at lower elevations. They are powerful swimmers, and their short (2 inches, or 5.08 cm) claws make them adept tree climbers. They are plantigrade, and typically walk on four feet, but when they fight, they stand up on their two hind feet and slap their enemy with their forepaws. Asiatic black bears usually avoid man and only attack when they are wounded or trying to protect their young, but unprovoked attacks have been documented many times throughout history.

Not all Asiatic black bears hibernate, though many do. They store fat during the late summer to use during the winter months of hibernation. Some may sleep the entire winter period, while others may only hibernate for the worst periods of winter weather. Asiatic black bears behave as other bears during hibernation; they do not excrete urea or solid fecal material, instead converting the waste material to proteins. During periods of hibernation, the heartbeat drops from 40 to 70 beats per minute to 8 to 12 beats per minute, and the metabolic rate decreases by 50%. The body temperature decreases by only 3 to 7 degrees Centigrade. Due to the fact that the body temperature of U. thibetanus, as well as many other bears, does not substantially drop and the bear can be easily awakened, some ecophysiologists do not consider the bear's period of inactivity to be true hibernation. Others argue that it is true hibernation, due to the fact that the pulse rate drops by 50%. ("Asiatic Black Bears", 2004; Nowak, 1991; Reid, et al., 1991; Czaplewski, et al., 2000)

Key Behaviorsarboreal scansorial terricolous nocturnal motile migratory hibernation daily torpor solitary territorial

(much more info on site provided)

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Body mass and physical changes of reintroduced Asiatic black bears

October 2021European Journal of Wildlife Research 67(5)

www.researchgate.net/publication/353933372_Body_mass_and_physical_changes_of_reintroduced_Asiatic_black_bears

The information on animal weight is often an essential component of wildlife management and research. However, it may be difficult to obtain direct scale weights from the free-ranging large animals when equipment needed to weigh the animals are inadequate or unavailable. In these cases, body weight can be estimated by morphometric equation. We investigated body mass and size (16 body parts) of reintroduced Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus; ABB) and their offsprings (28 males and 24 females, age 7 months − 12 years) between 2005 and 2013. Mean body weight of adult females and males in September − December were 132.2 ± 11.8 and 166.6 ± 7.2 kg, respectively, which was higher than those in April − August (103.8 ± 5.6 and 141.7 ± 6.3 kg, respectively). We developed three predictive equations for body mass by pad width and season that can utilize the footprint size before capturing. In addition, we also developed eleven multiple regression models to predict body mass through body part measurements after capturing, and selected two best models including neck girth, chest girth, body length, season, and sex. This study is the first to develop predictive equations for body mass by simple measurements of body parts in ABB. This data will not only help to understand the relationship between the weight and body size of reintroduced bears, but by estimating the weight without a scale, it will help to make the task easier and faster and to determine the appropriate anesthetic dose in the field.

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Vol.:(0123456789)1 3https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-021-01514-1ORIGINAL ARTICLEBody mass andphysical changes ofreintroduced Asiatic black bears

Body mass is one of the simplest and clearest parameters responding to bodily changes of wild animals and reflects the animal’s health. Moreover, animal growth pattern is a significant component for reproduction, as attainment of approximately 80–92% of threshold mass or length is asso-ciated with the onset of reproductive maturity in mammals (Kingsley etal. 1988; Swenson etal. 2007). Thus, informa-tion on the body mass of individual animals is often essential for understanding the nutritional conditions, physiology, and ecology of wildlife populations. Particularly in conservation of endangered species and reintroduction programs, body size and weight must be identified as they can be the impor- tant indicators of the ecological adaptation in reintroduced areas and growth of the animals. However, it may be difficult to obtain direct scale weights from the free-ranging large animals when equipment needed to weigh the animals are inadequate or unavailable (e.g., in large-bodied animals, in remote localities). In this situation, morphometric equations (e.g., based on girth or length) may provide accurate and precise estimates of body mass. In addition, even insitua-tions where field anesthesia is required for the management of the animals (e.g., rescue of injured animals, attachment of radio transmitter, and management of conflict issues), weight prediction that allows for the determination of the appropri-ate drug dose is necessary for the safety of both wildlife managers and animals.The predictive equations to estimate the body weight of large animals have been developed for numerous species such as bisons (Bison bison, Kelsall etal. 1978), Dall’s sheeps (Ovis dalli dalli, Bunnell 1980), mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus, Bunnell 1980), leopard seals (Hydrurga lep-tonyx, van den Hoff etal. 2005), leatherback turtles (Dermo-chelys coriacea, Georges and Fossette 2006), and American black bears (Ursus americanus, Payne 1976; Swenson etal. 1987) and brown bears (Ursus arctos, Nagy etal. 1984; and

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Biological Information on the Asiatic Black Bear

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Author: Laura E. Tsai
Place of Publication: Michigan State University College of Law
Publish Year: 2008
Primary Citation: Animal Legal and Historical Center

www.animallaw.info/article/biological-information-asiatic-black-bear

Summary:
Information on the physical characteristics, habitat, temperament, and mating and feeding patterns of the Asiatic black bear.

Asiatic black bears, commonly called moon bears, are one of the world's eight bear species. Moon bears are medium-sized bears averaging 4.5 - 5.4 feet in height, and weighing 198-254 pounds. Males are larger than females, and may weigh up to 400 pounds.

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Battery operated bears

vladnews.ru/ev/vl/1360/53407/medvedi_batareykah

When 11 years ago, Russian and American scientists began a joint program in the Sikhote-Alin Reserve to study the biology of the Amur tiger using radio telemetry, there was no question of bears, Himalayan and brown. The bears themselves got into the tiger project: on July 5, 1993, a brown toptygin suddenly fell into a trap set for tigers. Scientists immobilized the bear, took all measurements from it, weighed it, took the necessary bioassays, and finally put on a special collar to monitor its movement in the taiga using radar. Then the next bears climbed into the loops, followed by the brown ones - the Himalayan ones. And scientists, who work mainly with tigers, had to work out a little bit the method of setting traps with the expectation of bears.

When 11 years ago, Russian and American scientists began a joint program in the Sikhote-Alin Reserve to study the biology of the Amur tiger using radio telemetry, there was no question of bears, Himalayan and brown. The bears themselves got into the tiger project: on July 5, 1993, a brown toptygin suddenly fell into a trap set for tigers. Scientists immobilized the bear, took all measurements from it, weighed it, took the necessary bioassays, and finally put on a special collar to monitor its movement in the taiga using radar. Then the next bears climbed into the loops, followed by the brown ones - the Himalayan ones. And scientists, who work mainly with tigers, had to work out a little bit the method of setting traps with the expectation of bears.

LIP TATTOO

On the American side, research on bears at different times was conducted by employees of the Hornocker Wild Animal Institute (HWI) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). From the Russian side, specialists from the Pacific Institute of Geography and the Institute of Biology and Soil Science of the Far East Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, as well as from the Sikhote-Alin Reserve.

For six years they were engaged in bears, in general, in passing, and only since 1998, money was allocated specifically for bear monitoring. For four years, large-scale studies of the biology and ecology of Himalayan and brown bears have been carried out in the Sikhote-Alin Reserve and its environs. The last collar was put on in 2001, and the subsequent bears that fell into the traps only had plastic tags attached to their ears. In addition, all captured bears were tattooed on the inside of the upper lip or on the skin in the groin - zoologists put a personal number on each animal with dark paint. The collar, as well as the ear mark, is lost, and the tattoo remains for the entire animal life, so that the hunter who killed the tagged bear can always tell when and where he did it. Unfortunately, such appeals of scientists to local residents have remained unheeded.

[brobear]

BROWN MARATHON RIDERS

In just eight years, radio beacons were worn around the necks of more than four dozen bears of two species. Especially actively clubfoot began to fall into loops when scientists began to lay out odorous bait near the traps, for example, spoiled meat or fish. True, there were some smart people who ate all the bait, but at the same time skillfully bypassed all the loops. The record holders for weight were brown male - more than 350 kg and female - 222 kg. Among the Himalayans, the heaviest was the male weighing 205 kg, and the female - 101 kg. Tagged bears also have age record holders. Some animals are over 20 years old.

One of the most active participants in the project is the Himalayan bear Pasha. This is an outstanding beast: he managed to drop his first radio transmitter, but then, obviously, he wanted to serve science again and climbed into a trap loop. It is in the observations of the life of Pasha that the most extensive information is collected.

Ivan Seredkin, coordinator of the bear project, is sure that without the use of radio methods it would be impossible to collect completely new, hitherto unknown information from the life of animals. For example, without radar, one cannot find out the size of the habitats of these predators, how far they go. Of course, both the habitat and the movement of bears across it depend on gender, age, and other personal factors. Himalayan bears have a smaller home range than brown bears and don't like to travel long distances. For example, the white-breasted female Dasha has a living area of ​​​​only 20 square kilometers. But in brown males, and even taking into account the autumn movements, when they roam in search of food in order to save up fat for hibernation, the territory can cover an area of ​​​​up to three thousand square kilometers. Transitions of 30-50 km are not a distance for them. Brown Yura was somehow guided by radar 100 km from Terney to Kema.