Asian black bear

Template:Taxobox begin
Template:StatusVulnerable Template:Taxobox image Template:Taxobox begin placement Template:Taxobox regnum entry Template:Taxobox phylum entry Template:Taxobox classis entry Template:Taxobox ordo entry Template:Taxobox familia entry Template:Taxobox genus entry Template:Taxobox species entry Template:Taxobox end placement Template:Taxobox section binomial Template:Taxobox end The Asiatic Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus or Ursus tibetanus), or Tibetan Black Bear, is a medium sized, sharp-clawed, black-coloured bear with a distinctive white or cream "V" marking on its chest. This bear is a very close relative of the American Black Bear, with which it is thought to share a European common ancestor.

It grows to 130 to 190cm in length. Males weigh between 110 and 150kg and females weigh between 65 to 90 kg. The life span is around 25 years or so.

The Asiatic Black Bear has a wide range spanning from east to west in the continent of Asia. This mammal can be found in the forests of hilly and mountainous areas in East Asia and South Asia, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, northern India, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan, Burma, northeastern China, Taiwan and Japan. It can be found in areas with elevations as high as 9,900 feet, but in lower lands as well. In some parts of its range, the Asiatic Black Bear shares its habitat with the larger and stronger Brown Bear (Ursus arctos). However, the smaller black bear has an advantage over its competitor: its climbing skills which help it reach for fruit and nuts in the trees. Asiatic black bears share giant panda habitat as well, in China's Wolong Reserve, where they feed occasionally, among other things, on bamboo, which is their more specialized relatives' favorite food. The Asiatic Black Bear type that is found in Taiwan is the Formosan Black Bear subspecies.

The Asiatic Black Bear is an omnivore which consumes a great variety of foods including fruit, berries, grasses, seeds, nuts, invertebrates, honey and meat (fish, birds, rodents and other small mammals as well as carcasses). The Asiatic Black Bear is a bit more carnivorous than its cousin, the American Black Bear; however meat only makes up a small part of its diet nevertheless.

These Asian bears have been known to be quite aggressive towards human beings (more so than the American Black Bears); there have been numerous records of bear attacks and killings. This is probably mainly due to the fact that the Asiatic black bear is more likely to come into contact with people, and will often attack if startled.

The Asiatic black bear is listed as vulnerable on the World Conservation Union's (IUCN's) Red List of Threatened Animals. It is threatened mainly by deforestation and habitat loss. The bears are also killed by farmers due to the threat they pose to livestock, and they are also unpopular for their habit of stripping valuable timber trees of bark and reducing the value. Another problem faced by Asiatic black bears is that they are often hunted for their gall bladders, which are used in traditional Chinese medicine. minnan:A-chiu o·-hîm