Black Bear
Black Bear
Asiatic Black Bear have the jet black fur with the brown muzzle and a whitish chin. They have thick hair around the neck and shoulders. Asiatic Black Bear are usually the medium size bear and their length exceeds from four to six feet. Males weigh around 220 to 480 pounds and females around 110 to 275 pounds. They have large rounded ears that are set apart on their large round head. Their claws are short and strong that are used for climbing and peeling bark to eat. Unlike the humans, black bear walks with their entire foot. They can also stand up in their legs for longer period of time. They have large eyes and the very short stubby tail.They have highly developed senses. Asiatic Black Bear is brown or black in colour.
Diet
Indian black bears are omnivorous. Their diet depends upon the season as well as the availability of food. The fall season is the time for having acorns, chestnuts, walnuts, and other fatty food. In spring season, they survive on a diet of bamboo, raspberry, hydrangea, and other plants, along with rodent's caches of acorns. Summer season is perfect for having raspberries, cherries, grasses and ants. Asiatic black bears are also known to attack livestock at times.BOOK NOW
Natural Habitat
Asiatic black bear generally inhabits upper subtropical and lower moist temperate zones. They are found in East Asia and South Asia, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, northern India, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan, Burma, southern Siberia, Russia, northeastern China, Taiwan and Japan. In India, Asiatic black bears are found occupying Himalayan foothills, at a height of less than 3,750 m. Black bears are also found in the Arun valley of Nepal, inhabiting Sal-Castanopsis, Castanopsis and Rhododendron forests as well as the forests with bamboo groves.
Status and Threats
Asiatic black bear is listed as endangered on the World Conservation Union's (IUCN's) Red List of Threatened Animals. One of the major reasons that have contributed to the declining population of black bears is rampant deforestation and habitat loss. Asiatic black bears also face threat from farmers, who kill them in order to protect their livestock.
In India three species of bears are found, The Himalayan Black Bear, The Brown Bear and The Sloth Bear.
The Himalayan Black Bear (Selenarctos thibetanus)
Himalayan Black Bear is a large yet compact of all three bear species found in India. It can reach a length of 5-6 ft and when standing it can be a formidable sight and foe to tackle with. It has a smooth black shining coat than the sloth bear and has a distinct V shaped mark on the breast.
The Brown Bear (Ursus arctos)
Brown Bear
The Brown Bear of Himalayas is heavier in build and weight than the Black Bear. It's brown coat is easily recognized in the higher reaches of the mountains.
It prefers to live and search for food in the altitude above the tree line. It is usually found near the snow line looking for food in the higher pasture or underneath the rocks. It has been observed to have a liking for fresh growing shoots of grass. It also likes to hunt marmots and other insects. During the summer it goes in for the fruits from the orchards and likes to eat peaches, apples, mulberries and apricots. It also kills the goats, sheeps of the graziers who come to the high pasture to graze their animals. In spite of its carnivorous habit it is not known to attack human beings.
The Sloth Bear (Melursus ursinus)
The most unkept looking bear out of three species found in India is the Sloth Bear. It can be recognized by its long muzzle protruding lip and heavy shaggy hair. It has a V patch on its breast and has comparatively shorter hind legs.
Sloth Bear is found throughout India from the foothills of Himalayas till the Southern most end of India. It is also found in Assam and continues over in the neighboring countries.
