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Post by brobear on Oct 14, 2021 6:03:39 GMT -5
Here we go: planetzoo.fandom.com/wiki/Himalayan_Brown_Bear They have thick reddish-brown fur and males are larger than females, with an average length of 1.9m and weight of 135kg, in comparison to the female averages of 1.6m and 70kg. They live at high altitudes - often above the tree line - and spend the summer months foraging, hunting and mating. The winter months are spent hibernating. *Males average: 135kg = 298 pounds. *Females average: 70kg = 154 pounds.
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Post by brobear on Mar 12, 2022 4:25:31 GMT -5
A sketch of the yeti: saving the Himalayan brown bear. news.mongabay.com/2014/05/a-sketch-of-the-yeti-saving-the-himalayan-brown-bear/ Overall, the brown bear is one of the most widespread bear species in the world, found in much of Eurasia and North America, in quite large numbers. A subspecies called the Himalayan brown bear is not so fortunate. It occupies higher reaches of the Himalayas in remote, mountainous areas of Pakistan, Nepal, Tibet and India. Its populations are small and isolated, and it is extremely rare in many parts of its range. Over the last ten years, researchers in Pakistan, Nepal and India have been chalking out the status of the subspecies (Ursus arctos isabellinus), by conducting field surveys for bear signs and through conversations with local people. The bear populations in some parts of Nepal and the Tibetan Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China (TAR) belong to a separate subspecies (U. a. pruinosus), divided by a gap in distribution of the two subspecies between western Nepal and India. Political boundaries block connection of the last few strongholds of the Himalayan brown bear, with increased human presence and livestock conflicts worsening the situation. The Himalayan brown bear is one of the most ancient brown bear lineages. It’s a very large animal, with a big head, small eyes and stocky limbs. It is believed by some that the bear’s ability to walk upright probably gave rise to the legend of the Yeti or “Abominable Snowman.” People from the area call the brown bear “spang drenmo” (“spang” means grass and “drenmo” means bear), literally meaning “vegetarian bear.” The Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus), on the other hand, is called “shai drenmo” (“shai” means meat), or non-vegetarian bear. Although locals call it a vegetarian, the Himalayan brown bear is actually an omnivore. They are found above the timberline, between 3,000 and 5,500 meters (9,800 and 18,000 feet) above sea level. The bear depends on the sparse herbaceous vegetation in the area, supplemented by occasional small mammals like the Himalayan marmot (Marmota himalayana) in Nepal and the golden marmot (Marmota caudata) in Pakistan. Interestingly, the bears on the Tibetan plateau are primarily carnivorous, feeding mainly on the plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae). In India, not much is known about the Himalayan brown bear. A questionnaire survey among forest officials in 2006 conducted by Sambandam Sathyakumar from the Wildlife Institute of India put the number at 500 to 750, spread among 23 protected areas and 18 other localities in the northern states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Their potential habitat range in India is estimated at 4,300 square kilometers (about 1,660 square miles), of which very little is protected. Habitat preferences in Pakistan The Himalayan brown bear is found in three major mountain ranges, Hindu Kush, Karakoram and the Western Himalaya, and four inter-mountain highlands. Initial surveys showed that its range is highly varied, encompassing an elevational zone from 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) in the south to above 6,000 meters (19,700 feet) in the north. This area features a wide range of climatic conditions, from arid cold desert to monsoon fed moist forest, and supports a variety of vegetation, from alpine desert to coniferous forest. To determine which habitat was most preferred by the bear, Muhammad Ali Nawaz of the Quaid-i-Azam University/Snow Leopard Trust worked with researchers from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences and University of Lyon, to carry out a study at Deosai National Park in northern Pakistan. This park supports one of the densest populations of Himalayan brown bears, and an array of different habitat types that allowed for an investigation into habitat preferences. Deosai was established in 1993, at which time there were only about 20 bears. With careful management, the population grew over the next ten years; Nawaz was able to count about 56 individuals in 2012. The main mode of management was zonation – dividing the park into a core area with minimal human disturbance and having a “buffer” area around where some human activity like grazing was allowed. The sparse vegetation bears depend on is also the lifeline for nomadic herders called Gujjars, who graze their livestock in the areas around the park. Balancing the needs of wildlife and livestock is an added challenge for park management.
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Post by brobear on Mar 12, 2022 4:25:59 GMT -5
Deosai National Park in Pakistan. Photo credit: Muhammad Ali Nawaz.
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Post by brobear on Mar 12, 2022 4:28:07 GMT -5
A sketch of the yeti: saving the Himalayan brown bear... continued: The area was divided into five blocks, in which Nawaz started with something simple — scat surveys. These are often the best proxies for actually seeing bears, which are very hard to find. Nawaz also took into consideration habitat type and features, such as marshes and grasslands, snowfields and rocky areas. The park was also classified into different grades according to human use, such as grazing, harvesting, roads and tourism.
Nawaz and his team uncovered important information about bear habitat preferences. Brown bears selected marshy, stony and grassy vegetation types, and avoided rocky areas. Marshy areas were especially popular because they generally supported high densities of golden marmots. Unfortunately, the researchers found that the area designated by Deosai park authorities as the “core” of the protected zone contained habitat that was just 14 percent high-quality, while half was poor bear habitat.
There was one additional clear trend — bears avoided areas where there was a lot of grazing. This is a cause for worry, because the number of livestock in Deosai has been increasing, from about 5,000 head in 2003 to 8,000-9,000 head in 2007. Due to the already sparse vegetation, the researchers found that Deosai cannot possibly support livestock without impacting bears.
To summarize, Nawaz and his team found that brown bears prefer lower elevations, gentler slopes and areas with less grazing. Surprisingly, this is in stark contrast to their preferred habitat in Nepal. Meanwhile, in Nepal…
Historically, the Himalayan brown bear was present in Nepal and Bhutan. However, the species is presumed extinct in Bhutan. In Nepal, a 2010 study by Achyut Aryal and others reported records of the bear in the Manasulu Conservation Area.
Using field surveys and interviews with local people, much like Nawaz in Pakistan, Aryal found clear evidence for the continued existence of the bear. He found scat, excavations made by bears to dig out the Himalayan marmot and tracks. While interviewing people, Aryal used photographs of both brown and black bears to avoid confusion, as Asiatic black bears (Urus thibetanus) also inhabit the region.
Local herders had an interesting observation to make. Brown bears were a recent sighting in the area, and their theory is that the bears came to Nepal from the adjoining Tibetan Autonomous Region. People don’t kill marmots in the area, which makes them abundant and which is what probably attracted the bears. Scat analysis confirmed that marmots are a major food source for brown bears in the area.
In Nepal, Aryal found that brown bears avoid high-altitude meadows and preferred forested areas at lower elevations, probably because they could not find food at high altitudes.
“The habitat preference of the brown bear in Pakistan is totally different from where it’s found in Nepal,” said Aryal. “We cannot easily find marshy areas at the high elevations brown bears occupy here.”
Brown bears seem to seek out the most productive parts of any environment, using the next-best habitat when their favorite isn’t available. Nawaz discusses this adaptability at length in his study.
“In northern Pakistan (spread across Himalaya, Karakoram, and Pamir ranges), forest cover is limited. The area is dominated by rock/ice, scrub and alpine pastures,” Nawaz writes. “In this scenario, alpine pastures are the most productive habitats, and consequently selected by the brown bear.” What will the future mean for the bears?
The Himalayan brown bear continues to persist, albeit in fragmented populations. There are points of contact between the Indian and Pakistani brown bear populations, along the Zanskar and Ladakh ranges. Movement of bears has been documented across the border, especially in some areas of military conflict where development has not taken place.
Still, Deosai National Park in Pakistan has the largest population of Himalayan brown bears in the region; it is also one of the few places where their habitat is protected. Nawaz says that the Himalayan Wildlife Foundation in Pakistan is planning to support the government in developing a new management plan for Deosai this year, which will be developed based on his recent paper. The revamped zoning plan will accommodate ecotourism and other resource use in a sustainable manner.
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Post by brobear on Mar 12, 2022 4:29:05 GMT -5
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Post by brobear on Mar 12, 2022 5:22:32 GMT -5
Deosai National Park www.wildlifeofpakistan.com/ProtectedAreasofPakistan/Deosai_NP.htm Above the tree line and at an average height of 13,500 feet above sea level, the Deosai Plains are among the highest plateaus in the world. The Deosai Plains cover an area of almost 3,000 square kilometers. For just over half the year - between November and May - Deosai is snow-bound. In the summer months when the snow clears up, Deosai is accessible from Skardu in the north and the Astore Valley in the west. Deosai Plains make up one of the last frontiers of natural habitat for the Himalayan brown bear, a creature that once roamed the mountains freely. The park currently has inbetween 20-28 Brown bears. This park was establised to protect these endangered bears. Recently a research project has started by Himalayan Wildlife Foundation (HWF) and the Northern Areas Forests, Parks, and Wildlife Department to secure the survival of the brown bear in the Deosai Plains and to monitor their population. The Deosai Plains are also home to the ibex, red fox, golden marmot, wolf, the Ladakh urial, the snow leopard, and a number of resident and migratory birds. Mammals in the park include--Brown bear, Snow leopard, Himalayan Musk deer, Golden marmot, Pika, Migratory hamster, and Ermine. Birds in the park are--Golden eagle, Lammagier vulture, Griffon vulture, Laggar falcon, Peregrine falcon, Kestrel, Indian sparrow hawk and Snow cock.
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Post by OldGreenGrolar on Mar 12, 2022 10:16:17 GMT -5
Reply 64. The third picture is a Tibetan blue bear. Done a google search on that subspecies and saw that picture.
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Post by brobear on Mar 12, 2022 10:45:29 GMT -5
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Post by OldGreenGrolar on Mar 12, 2022 17:56:47 GMT -5
The yeti is mostly associated with the Tibetan blue bear. Besides I believe the article has mixed the two subspecies together. Take a lot at what I found: It occupies higher reaches of the Himalayas in remote, mountainous areas of Pakistan, Nepal, Tibet and India. Tibet seems to be included confirming a bit of my suspicion.
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Post by brobear on Mar 13, 2022 0:36:37 GMT -5
Yes, you are correct. I just reread the article. Quote, "Interestingly, the bears on the Tibetan plateau are primarily carnivorous, feeding mainly on the plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae)." Also, "The bear populations in some parts of Nepal and the Tibetan Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China (TAR) belong to a separate subspecies (U. a. pruinosus), divided by a gap in distribution of the two subspecies between western Nepal and India." Funny how people word themselves. Quote, "Overall, the brown bear is one of the most widespread bear species in the world." Actually, brown bears are absolutely the most widespread bear species in the world. Quote, "The Himalayan brown bear is one of the most ancient brown bear lineages." Actually, the Himalayan brown bear is indeed of the most ancient brown bear lineages." Quote, " It’s a very large animal, with a big head, small eyes and stocky limbs." Actually, the Himalayan brown bear is among the smallest brown bear subspecies.
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Post by brobear on Mar 13, 2022 0:46:07 GMT -5
Quote, "Historically, the Himalayan brown bear was present in Nepal and Bhutan. However, the species is presumed extinct in Bhutan." There are tigers in Bhutan, which are nearly double the weight of a Himalayan brown bear. This gives room for thought...
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Post by brobear on Mar 31, 2022 4:22:17 GMT -5
Leopard and brown bear at Great Himalayan National park
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Post by brobear on Jun 24, 2022 6:45:27 GMT -5
Identifying Himalayan brown bear (Ursus arctos isabellinus) conservation areas in Lahaul Valley, Himachal Pradesh www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989419307486 Abstract Large carnivores that occur in low densities, particularly in the high-altitude areas are globally threatened because of habitat loss and anthropogenic disturbances. Among the eight bear species, brown bear has the largest distribution range, where the Himalayan brown bear distribution is restricted to Himalayan high lands with relatively small and fragmented populations. In the Indian Himalayan regions, the brown bear is mostly distributed in the high-altitude ranges of Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory (UT), Ladakh UT, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand but poorly studied due to elusive nature and rugged landscape. So far, very little information is available on the species except for few distribution records and short-term studies focused on bear-human conflict. Much of its distribution range in India is largely unexplored and hence, no scientific information is available which is vital for the conservation of the species and management of its habitats. Therefore, the present study was conducted aiming at distribution and occupancy assessment of brown bear in the Lahaul Valley of Himachal Pradesh. We have used both sign survey and camera trapping for understanding the site occupancy of the species using habitat covariates. The study landscape was divided into 10 km × 10 km grids, and in each grid, at least 4 camera traps were deployed strategically. Further, a total of 56 trails were also surveyed in the selected grids. The total effort of n = 758 camera nights and 544 km trail walk resulted with naïve occupancy of 0.54 in the Lahaul Valley, which is slightly lower than the estimated one (0.562–0.757). Out of 34 single-season occupancy models run for the brown bear with different site co-variants, only ‘agriculture land’ (β = 24; ±14) and combined effect of ‘agriculture land + alpine grassland’ (β = 28.0 ± 10) showed a positive association with occupancy of brown bear in the Lahaul Valley. Whereas, detection probability was mostly explained by habitat covariates such as ‘human settlement’ (β = 0.00 ± 0.00) and ‘alpine grassland’ (β = −0.73, ±0.31) which showed a negative association. The positive relationship of occupancy with agriculture land indicated that Himalayan brown bears are using an agriculture land which is leading to increasing bear-human conflict. Through the present study, we identified few areas in Lahaul Valley for priority conservation actions.
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Post by brobear on Jun 24, 2022 6:47:51 GMT -5
Himalayan brown bear www.futura-sciences.us/dico/d/zoology-himalayan-brown-bear-50003965/ Himalayan brown bear (Horsfield 1826) - Ursus arctos isabellinus Order: Carnivora Family: Ursidae Subfamily: Ursinae Genus: Ursus Size: 1.30 to 2.20 m Weight: 70 to 160 kg ( 154 to 352.74 pounds ) Life span: 20 to 30 years Description of the Himalayan brown bear This bear is small and squat. Its coat is a sandy or reddish brown. As it can live in high mountains it is probable that, like its cousin the Tibetan blue bear (Ursus arctos pruinosus), the myth of the Yeti is actually based on a bear sighting. It has a hump on its shoulders, a slightly bulging face and long claws on its front paws. Habitat of the Himalayan brown bear This brown bear subspecies is found on the plateaus of the foothills of the Himalayas, in Kazakhstan (Tian Shan mountains, Altyn Emel, Tosksanbai and in two reserves near Almaty), in Pakistan, especially in the Deosai National Park in Kashmir called the "Land of Giants", where only about forty individuals survive. The animal mainly inhabits mixed forests of conifers and broad-leaved trees, as well as mountain meadows at altitudes higher than 3,000 metres. Behaviour of the Himalayan brown bear The animal is active before dawn and in the late afternoon. Solitary outside the mating season, it spends most of its time looking for food. It hibernates from November until the following April and suffers from the oxygenation problems linked to altitude. Reproduction of the Himalayan brown bear Little is known about the animal's habits, but we do know that rutting season lasts two weeks and mating takes place from mid-May through July. The female gives birth to one or two cubs in her den every three to four years, and nurses them until she leaves the den in the springtime. Sexual maturity varies between three and seven years, depending on the cub's sex: male or female. Diet of the Himalayan brown bear The bear mainly feeds on plants, shoots, berries, fruit and flowers found on its territory, but does not turn its nose up at small mammals such as hedgehogs, marmots and sometimes a sheep or goat. Threats to the Himalayan brown bear Its survival is threatened by human activities (Kazakhstan has an abundance of rare and precious minerals) and poaching. Many female bears have been killed to capture their cubs. Cubs are raised by gypsy populations for circuses, while male organs are used to supply the local pharmacopeia market. Considering the geographic range of its habitat and the difficulty of access (mountains of Kazakhstan and Pakistan, and perhaps Tibet), it is impossible to accurately count how many specimens are still living in the wild.
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Post by brobear on Jun 24, 2022 7:04:10 GMT -5
Size - www.inaturalist.org/guide_taxa/889098 In linear measurements and mean body mass, several subspecies may vie for the title of smallest subtype, although thus far their reported body masses broadly overlaps with those of the smaller-bodied populations of Eurasian brown and grizzly bears. Leopold (1959) described the now extinct Mexican grizzly bear that, according to Rausch (1963), as the smallest subtype of grizzly bear in North America, although the exact parameters of its body size are not known today. Bears from the Syrian (U. a. syriacus) subspecies will reportedly weigh around 100 to 160 kg (220 to 350 lb) in adulthood. The Himalayan brown bear (U. a. isabellinus) is another rival for smallest subspecies, in Pakistan this subtype averages about 70 kg (150 lb) in females and 135 kg (298 lb) in males. Himalayan brown bear females were cited with an average head-and-body length of merely 1.4 m (4 ft 7 in). Brown bears of the compact Gobi Desert population, which is not usually listed as a distinct subspecies in recent decades, weigh around 90 to 138 kg (198 to 304 lb) between the sexes, so are similar in weight to bears from the Himalayas and even heavier than grizzlies from Jasper National Park. However, the Gobi bear has been reported to measure as small as 1 m (3 ft 3 in) in head-and-body length, which if accurate would make them the smallest known brown bear in linear dimensions. These smallest brown bear subtypes are characteristically found in "barren ground" type habitats, i.e. sub-desert in bears from the Syrian and Gobi subtype and arid alpine meadow in Himalayan bears.
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Post by brobear on Jun 30, 2022 15:17:18 GMT -5
Identifying Himalayan brown bear (Ursus arctos isabellinus) conservation areas in Lahaul Valley, Himachal Pradesh www.researchgate.net/publication/338216409_Identifying_Himalayan_brown_bear_Ursus_arctos_isabellinus_conservation_areas_in_Lahaul_Valley_Himachal_Pradesh November 2019Global Ecology and Conservation 21:e00900 Abstract and Figures Large carnivores that occur in low densities, particularly in the high-altitude areas are globally threatened because of habitat loss and anthropogenic disturbances. Among the eight bear species, brown bear has the largest distribution range, where the Himalayan brown bear distribution is restricted to Himalayan high lands with relatively small and fragmented populations. In the Indian Himalayan regions, the brown bear is mostly distributed in the high-altitude ranges of Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory (UT), Ladakh UT, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand but poorly studied due to elusive nature and rugged landscape. So far, very little information is available on the species except for few distribution records and short-term studies focused on bear-human conflict. Much of its distribution range in India is largely unexplored and hence, no scientific information is available which is vital for the conservation of the species and management of its habitats. Therefore, the present study was conducted aiming at distribution and occupancy assessment of brown bear in the Lahaul Valley of Himachal Pradesh. We have used both sign survey and camera trapping for understanding the site occupancy of the species using habitat covariates. The study landscape was divided into 10 km × 10 km grids, and in each grid, at least 4 camera traps were deployed strategically. Further, a total of 56 trails were also surveyed in the selected grids. The total effort of n = 758 camera nights and 544 km trail walk resulted with naïve occupancy of 0.54 in the Lahaul Valley, which is slightly lower than the estimated one (0.562–0.757). Out of 34 single-season occupancy models run for the brown bear with different site co-variants, only ‘agriculture land’ (β = 24; ±14) and combined effect of ‘agriculture land + alpine grassland’ (β = 28.0 ± 10) showed a positive association with occupancy of brown bear in the Lahaul Valley. Whereas, detection probability was mostly explained by habitat covariates such as ‘human settlement’ (β = 0.00 ± 0.00) and ‘alpine grassland’ (β = −0.73, ±0.31) which showed a negative association. The positive relationship of occupancy with agriculture land indicated that Himalayan brown bears are using an agriculture land which is leading to increasing bear-human conflict. Through the present study, we identified few areas in Lahaul Valley for priority conservation actions. Keywords Human-brown bear conflictHimalayasCrop depredation.
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Post by brobear on Jul 2, 2022 17:33:44 GMT -5
A study on Himalayan Brown Bear in India by Rajkishore Mohanta and Prakash Mardaraj. Introduction. A bear is a large, heavy and powerful animal with thick, shaggy fur and very short tail. They usually have heavy bodies supporting a large hairy head. Their thick fur covers a loose skin covering. They have small eyes and poor eyesight. Small rounded ears stick straight up, but a bear's hearing is only fair. Bears do have a keen sense of smell. They have short, powerful limbs with large feet. A bear's foot has five toes, and each toe ends with a long, heavy claw. The strong claws are used to dig up roots, turn over large boulders, and tear into rotting timber looking for ants, termites, and other food. Bears, like a human, walk putting their entire foot sole on the ground with each step, and their heel strikes down first. This walk is different than most other animals; those walk and run on their toes. Combining this gait with their large feet and short legs sometimes makes a bear look slow and ungainly. However, bears are extremely agile and can move quickly, running at speeds well over 30 miles per hour. Bears belong to the order Carnivora. Around 57 million years ago, Carnivora evolved from small arboreal predators, miacids ( Herrero, 1999 ). On the e3volutionary tree of the order Carnivora, bears are close relatives of dogs, raccoons, and weasels, from which the bear split about 34 million years ago ( Catton, 1990 ). Today the bear family comprises of three genera containing eight living species. The brown bear is one of eight species of bears distributed worldwide, and one of six members of the genus Ursus. Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern Hemisphere and partially in the Southern Hemisphere. Bears are found in the continents of North America, South America, Europe, and Asia.
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Post by brobear on Jul 2, 2022 18:13:47 GMT -5
A study on Himalayan Brown Bear in India continued.... Authors: Rajkishore Mohanta Zoo Ranger Delhi Zoological Park New Delhi Prakash Mardaraj Research Personnel Project on Sloth Bear Wildlife Institute of India In the world, there are eight living species of bears. The brown bear ( Ursus arctos ) is one of the eight species family Ursidae. They are the polar bear ( Ursus maritimus ), American black bear ( Ursus americanus ), Asiatic black bear ( Ursus thibetanus ), grizzly or brown bear ( Ursus arctos ), sloth bear ( Melursus ursinus ), spectacled bear ( Tremarctos oratus ), Malayan sun bear ( Ursus malayanus ), and giant panda ( Ailuropoda melanoleuca ) ( Waits et al, 1999 ).
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Post by brobear on Jul 5, 2022 4:44:07 GMT -5
A study on Himalayan Brown Bear in India continued.... Four bear species viz. sloth bear, Asiatic black bear, Himalayan brown bear and Malayan sun bear have been reported in India ( Prater, 1990 and Chauhan and Jagdish Singh, 2006 ). The brown bear occupies much of the northern hemisphere and requires a wide range of elevations covering an expansive range. Its closet living relative is the polar bear ( Ledje and Amason, 1996, Nowak, 1991, Storer and Tevis, 1955 and Talbot and Shields, 1996b ). In many areas, the brown bear has been driven to extinction ( Novikov, 1965 and Storer and Tevis, 1955 ). In other areas, it is decreasing in numbers due to human activities ( Domico, 1988 and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1995 ).
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Post by brobear on Jul 6, 2022 3:13:34 GMT -5
A study on Himalayan Brown Bear in India by Rajkishore Mohanta and Prakash Mardaraj. Evolution and systematic The spectacled bear diverged from other members of Ursidae about 12-13 million years ago, which is close to the time of divergence of the ancestral giant panda. The sloth bear lineage diverged later, about 7 million years ago. Between 6-7 million years ago, there was a rapid radiation of the remaining members of the genus Ursus. About 6 million years ago during the late Piocene, the lineage containing the Asiatic black bear and the American black bear diverged. Within approximately 1 million years of this event, the Asiatic and American black bears diverged from each other. The sun bear diverged from the lineage about 5 million years ago, leading to the polar bear and the brown bear, which diverged approximately 300,000 to 400,000 years aqgo ( Sacco, 1997 and Talbot and Shields, 1996b ). It is generally ( believed ) behind that the evolutionary origin of the brown bear is Eurasia. However, there is not enough evidence to determine whether it originated in Europe or Asia ( Masuda, et al, 1998 ). There are many subspecies of brown bears ( U. arctos sspp ) worldwide. However, the exact number and classification of subspecies is not widely agreed upon ( Nowak, 1991 ). Some early taxonomists have suggested that there are as many as 90 subspecies in North America and 271 subspecies of brown bears in Eurasia. However, many consider this to be a case of excessive over-splitting ( Talbot and Shields, 1996a ). More recent findings indicate that there are two to nine subspecies of brown bears in Eurasia, and... ( Nowak, 1991; Rausch 1993 and Waits ot al, 1998 ).
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