Himalayan black bear

Himalayan black bear
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Ursidae
Genus: Ursus
Species: U. thibetanus
Subspecies: U. t. laniger
Trinomial name
Ursus thibetanus laniger
Pocock, 1932
Synonyms
  • Selenarctos thibetanus laniger Pocock, 1932[1]

The Himalayan black bear (Ursus thibetanus laniger) is a subspecies of the Asian black bear found in the Himalayas of Tibet, Nepal, China and India.

It is distinguished from U. t. thibetanus by its longer, thicker fur and smaller, whiter chest mark[2] During the summer, Himalayan black bears can be found in warmer areas in Nepal, China, Russia, and Tibet at altitudes of 10,000 to 12,000 feet up near the timberline. For winter, they descend as low as 5,000 to more tropical forests. On average, they measure from 56 to 65 inches nose to tail and weigh from 200 to 265 pounds, though they may weigh as much as 400 pounds in the fall when they are fattening up for hibernation.[3]

References

  1. Pocock, R. I. (1932). "The Black and Brown Bears of Europe and Asia: Part II". The Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. 36 (1): 115–116.
  2. Pocock, R. I. (1941). The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma. Mammalia. Volume 2. Taylor and Francis, London.
  3. Bears Of The World. "Himalayan Black Bear". Bears Of The World. Archived from the original on 20 March 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2015.


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