Iberian brown bear
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The Cantabrian brown bear, Iberian brown bear, or Iberian bear (scientifically ''Ursus arctos pyrenaicus'') is a
population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...
of
Eurasian brown bear The Eurasian brown bear (''Ursus arctos arctos'') is one of the most common subspecies of the brown bear, and is found in much of Eurasia. It is also called the European brown bear, common brown bear, common bear, and colloquially by many othe ...
s (''Ursus arctos arctos'') living in the
Cantabrian Mountains , etymology=Named after the Cantabri , photo=Cordillera Cantábrica vista desde el Castro Valnera.jpg , photo_caption=Cantabrian Mountains parallel to the Cantabrian Sea seen from Castro Valnera in an east-west direction. In the background, ...
of
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
. On average, females weigh , but can reach a weight of . Males average , though they can weigh as much as . The bear measures between in length, and between at shoulder height. In Spain, it is known as the ''Oso pardo cantábrico'' and, more locally, in
Asturias Asturias (, ; ast, Asturies ), officially the Principality of Asturias ( es, Principado de Asturias; ast, Principáu d'Asturies; Galician-Asturian: ''Principao d'Asturias''), is an autonomous community in northwest Spain. It is coextensiv ...
as ''Osu''. It is timid and will avoid human contact whenever possible. The Cantabrian brown bear can live for around 25–30 years in the wild.


Evolution

Believed to have originated in Asia, the brown bear (''
Ursus arctos The brown bear (''Ursus arctos'') is a large bear species found across Eurasia and North America. In North America, the populations of brown bears are called grizzly bears, while the subspecies that inhabits the Kodiak Islands of Alaska is kno ...
'', L. 1758) spread across the Northern Hemisphere, colonising much of the Eurasian land mass as well as North America. Experts on bears are continuing debate on the
scientific classification Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification. A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...
of bears, of which there are currently eight recognised species although some experts recognise more subspecies. In the early 20th century, Cabrera (1914) considered the Cantabrian brown bear to be a distinct subspecies of
European brown bear The Eurasian brown bear (''Ursus arctos arctos'') is one of the most common subspecies of the brown bear, and is found in much of Eurasia. It is also called the European brown bear, common brown bear, common bear, and colloquially by many ot ...
(''U. a. arctos''; in itself a classification currently under debate) and named it ''Ursus arctos pyrenaicus'' (Fischer, 1829), characterised by the yellow colouring of the points of its hair and by its black paws. Since then, however,
phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...
and mitochondrial DNA research has led to the general scientific consensus that the European brown bear is not a separate subspecies. These recent studies have also found that the European populations fall into two major genetic lineages; an eastern type and a western type. The Cantabrian brown bear forms a part of the western type, the effective barriers of the
Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was finally confirmed in ...
ice sheets of the
Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Swi ...
and the
Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
having directed the spread of the brown bear respectively, north and eastwards and south and westwards. A further distinction of the two clades has been made within the western lineage following post-glacial recolonisation after the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM); one consisting of the bear populations of Southern Scandinavia, the
Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to ...
and
Cantabrian Mountains , etymology=Named after the Cantabri , photo=Cordillera Cantábrica vista desde el Castro Valnera.jpg , photo_caption=Cantabrian Mountains parallel to the Cantabrian Sea seen from Castro Valnera in an east-west direction. In the background, ...
of Northern Spain and the other consisting of the bear populations of the
Southern Alps The Southern Alps (; officially Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana) is a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the range's western side. The name "Southern ...
, the Apennines, the
Dinaric Alps The Dinaric Alps (), also Dinarides, are a mountain range in Southern and Southcentral Europe, separating the continental Balkan Peninsula from the Adriatic Sea. They stretch from Italy in the northwest through Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herz ...
, the Rila Mountains, the Rhodope Mountains and the Stara Planina Mountains. This leaves the remnant population of brown bears in the south of Sweden as the nearest relatives of the Cantabrian brown bear. The last indigenous, reproductive female in the Pyrenees, Canelle, was shot by a hunter in 2004. Brown bears from
Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...
are now being introduced to the Pyrenees.


Geographic distribution

Having once roamed most of the
Iberian peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, def ...
, since the first half of the 20th century the Cantabrian brown bear has been reduced to two isolated populations in the
Cantabrian mountains , etymology=Named after the Cantabri , photo=Cordillera Cantábrica vista desde el Castro Valnera.jpg , photo_caption=Cantabrian Mountains parallel to the Cantabrian Sea seen from Castro Valnera in an east-west direction. In the background, ...
of Northern Spain, primarily through human persecution (direct hunting) and by loss of habitat due to agriculture and construction. These two populations occupy a combined territory total of 5,000–7,000 km2 covering the provinces of, in the West, Asturias, León and Lugo ( Galicia) and, in the east,
Palencia Palencia () is a city of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the province of Palencia. Located in the Northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, in the northern half o ...
, León,
Cantabria Cantabria (, also , , Cantabrian: ) is an autonomous community in northern Spain with Santander as its capital city. It is called a ''comunidad histórica'', a historic community, in its current Statute of Autonomy. It is bordered on the east ...
and Asturias. Population figures from 2007 gave 100–110 bears in the western enclave and 20–30 in the eastern, a situation which put the smaller population at risk from in-breeding. The two populations are separated by some 30–40 km, a rupture which has been interpreted as the consequence of human pressure such as the development of communication infrastructures. However, in 2008 genetic evidence was obtained from
Redes Natural Park The Redes Natural Park (Spanish: Parque Natural de Redes) is located in the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain. Its total area is , split between two municipalities: Caso () and Sobrescobio (). It was declared a natural park in 1996. ...
indicating recent interbreeding between the two populations. In 2005 the presence of brown bears was reported near the Portuguese border (less than ) on the
Trevinca Peña Trevinca ( gl, Pena Trevinca), also known as Trevinca, is a mountain in northern Spain. It is located at the confluence of the Montes de León and the Macizo Galaico on the boundary between the autonomous communities of Galicia and Castil ...
range, based on footprints left on a big mud pad. In 2019, one brown bear was confirmed by the Portuguese authorities to have roamed across the border, and evidence suggests this was not an isolated event, as footprints from the early months of the year and local sightings confirm. Bears had not been seen in
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
for over a hundred years and were believed extinct.


Protection status

The Cantabrian brown bear is catalogued on the Spanish Red List of Endangered Species as in danger of
extinction Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...
. In Europe it is listed in the European Mammal Assessment as critically endangered. On an international level, it is listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as being of
least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...
due to the existence of relatively healthy populations of brown bears elsewhere. In Spain there is a maximum fine of €300,000 for killing a bear following a ban on hunting of the species in 1973.


Threats

In the smaller eastern population,
endogamy Endogamy is the practice of marrying within a specific social group, religious denomination, caste, or ethnic group, rejecting those from others as unsuitable for marriage or other close personal relationships. Endogamy is common in many cultu ...
has led to genetic complications including the higher probability of birth defects and a higher ratio of male to female births (more males than females). Added to this is the extreme
philopatry Philopatry is the tendency of an organism to stay in or habitually return to a particular area. The causes of philopatry are numerous, but natal philopatry, where animals return to their birthplace to breed, may be the most common. The term derive ...
usually exhibited by female brown bears which leads to a very slow dispersal rate of reproductive females. Another present threat comes in the form of the EU's
bovine spongiform encephalopathy Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad cow disease, is an incurable and invariably fatal neurodegenerative disease of cattle. Symptoms include abnormal behavior, trouble walking, and weight loss. Later in the course of t ...
(BSE) laws which are enforcing the removal of carcasses from the countryside. Though only a small part of the Cantabrian brown bear's mainly vegetarian diet, carrion is very important for the building of fat reserves ready for the winter and, in spring, is a vital source of sustenance following the rigours of the winter. It is hoped that these disease containment measures will be revised following a meeting of concerned Spanish environmentalists with the European Commission in October 2007. There has been concern that recent mild winters, possibly due to climate change, have not been severe enough to necessitate hibernation. However, the bears are sometimes active during cold winter weather for reasons which are not entirely clear. Man-made infrastructures such as roads and railways inhibit the population growth of the Cantabrian brown bear. The most recent human threat is a proposal to build a ski/winter leisure resort in the San Glorio pass, a site in the eastern region of the bears' habitat. Despite the fact that Spain's ministry of the environment, in its ''Catálogo Nacional de Especies Amenazadas'' lists the brown bear as in danger of extinction in Spain, and the existence of heavy fines aimed at protecting the few remaining bears, the fact is hardly a year passes without yet another bear having been killed by human intervention. According to an article published December 2007 in the Spanish national daily '' El País'', eight brown bears had been killed, either by poisoned bait or illegal hunting, in the
Cantabrian Mountains , etymology=Named after the Cantabri , photo=Cordillera Cantábrica vista desde el Castro Valnera.jpg , photo_caption=Cantabrian Mountains parallel to the Cantabrian Sea seen from Castro Valnera in an east-west direction. In the background, ...
since the year 2000.


Conservation

An "Action Plan for the Conservation of the Brown Bear (''Ursus arctos'') in Europe", published in 2000, made specific recommendations for the management of bears in Spain. The Spanish Ministry of the Environment had previously drawn up a "Plan para la Recuperación del Oso Pardo" (''Plan for the Recovery of the Brown Bear'') with the intention of saving the species from extinction by coordinating conservation efforts across the
autonomous communities eu, autonomia erkidegoa ca, comunitat autònoma gl, comunidade autónoma oc, comunautat autonòma an, comunidat autonoma ast, comunidá autónoma , alt_name = , map = , category = Autonomous administra ...
in which it currently lives. Among the responsibilities of regional governments are various natural parks which provide suitable habitat for bears. Bears appear not to have a permanent presence in the only national park in the Cantabrian mountains, the Picos de Europe National Park. the population was estimated at 300 bears. Bear
habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
is monitored by patrols and education programmes are underway, particularly among the young but also among hunting groups. A project of photo "trapping" is enjoying success and another of radio-tracking individuals is being considered. Apart from continuing scientific research,
conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and managem ...
efforts currently centre on joining the two sub-populations of Spanish bears in order to create a viable population. Conservation groups are working to enhance centuries-old corridors used by the bears and are planting fruit trees and siting beehives to supplement their diet. There has been support for corridors from the EU LIFE programme focussing on a corridor between the two subpopulations and a corridor out of
Somiedo Natural Park Somiedo Natural Park (Spanish: Parque Natural de Somiedo) is a protected area located in the central area of the Cantabrian Mountains in the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain. As well as being designated a natural park, it is protecte ...
.''LIFE+ Project Brown Bear Corridors''
, Fundación Oso Pardo
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
's proposed integration of existing Cantabrian
biosphere reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...
s within a ''Gran Cantábrica'' super-reserve is also intended to help the bears expand their range via, for example, the
comarca A ''comarca'' (, or , or ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, Spain and some of their former colonies, like Brazil, Nicaragua, and Panama. The term is derived from the term ''marca'', meaning a "march, ...
of
Os Ancares Os Ancares is a comarca in the Galician Province of Lugo. The overall population of this local region is 13,888 (2005). It is formed by the municipality of Candín with two slopes, Sil and Navia, and separated by the Ancares pass. Today, Os An ...
.UNESCO Unveils 25 New Biosphere Reserves
/ref>


See also

*
Marsican brown bear The Marsican brown bear (''Ursus arctos arctos'', formerly ''Ursus arctos marsicanus''), also known as the "Apennine brown bear", and in Italian, is a critically endangered population or subspecies of the Eurasian brown bear, with a range res ...
*
Bear conservation Bear conservation refers to the management of bears and their habitat with a view to preventing their extinction. Bears face serious threats on many fronts, most of which are due to human activity. Whether indirect, as in human encroachment on t ...
*
International Bear Association The International Association for Bear Research and Management (IBA), sometimes shortened to International Bear Association, is a professional organization for biologists, wildlife managers and others which focuses on wildlife conservation of the ei ...
* IUCN Red List of Threatened Species *
Threatened species Threatened species are any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of '' critical depen ...


References


External links


Fauna Europaea (European Biodiversity Taxonomic Authority)Fundación Oso de Asturias

Fundación Oso Pardo (Website of NGO)


* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20060623224947/http://www.fapas.es/estudio-genetico-osopardo.pdf ESTUDIO GENÉTICO DEL OSO PARDO CANTÁBRICO EN ASTURIASJOSE LUIS GARCIA GARITAGOITIA, ISABEL REY FRAILE, IGNACIO DOADRIO VILLAREJO. December 2003, Genetic Study of the Cantabrian brown bear, 60 pages, FAPAS (Fondo para la Protección de los Animales Salvajes) (Spanish) *Safari Club International Foundation Wildlife Conservation Issues - Technical Series (200
European Brown Bear Compendium
131 pages, Swedish web site (English) - pdf
Abstract of Mitochondrial DNA Polymorphism, Phylogeography, and Conservation Genetics of the Brown Bear Ursus arctos in Europe
by Pierre Taberlet, Jean Bouvet, The Royal Society Proceedings: Biological Sciences, Vol. 255, No. 1344 (Mar. 22, 1994), pp. 195–200
Seguimiento Fotográfico Oso Pardo (FAPAS)
2002 video 20min, FAPAS (Fondo para la Protección de los Animales Salvajes) (Spanish) {{Taxonbar, from=Q5033519 Eurasian brown bears Endemic mammals of the Iberian Peninsula Environment of Cantabria