Ursidae Atlas

Ursidae · Ursinae

Asiatic Black Bear

Ursus thibetanus

The moon-chested cousin of the American black bear.

Moon bears occupy a fragmented belt from the Himalaya through China to Japan. Close relatives of American black bears, with many declining populations.

Vulnerable Asia
Asiatic Black Bear
Wikimedia Commons · source
350Typical male, lb
200Typical female, lb
5–6.5 ftStanding height
About 20–25 years.Wild lifespan

Range

Where they live

Temperate and subtropical forests of Asia, often in mountains.

HimalayaChinaJapanKoreaRussian Far East

Habitat

What they use

  • Broadleaf forest
  • Mixed mountain forest
  • Hills above farmland

Figure — diet mix

What fills the year

Mast & fruit
65%
Insects
20%
Meat
15%
  • Acorns and mast
  • Fruit
  • Insects
  • Small mammals

Conservation

Vulnerable

  • Still widespread, but many subpopulations are declining.
  • Chest crescent is the easiest field mark.

Pressures

Bile farming / poachingDeforestationConflict

Map

Range sketch and cameras

Filled shapes are schematic core-range sketches for reading the atlas, not official occupancy layers.

Field notes

Worth remembering

  • Called moon bears for the white chest crescent.
  • Strong climbers, like American black bears.