The Formosan black bear (臺灣黑熊, ''Ursus thibetanus formosanus''), also known as the Taiwanese black bear or white-throated bear, is a

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

of the

Asiatic black bear The Asian black bear (''Ursus thibetanus''), also known as the Asiatic black bear, moon bear and white-chested bear, is a medium-sized bear species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an or ...

. It was first described by

Robert Swinhoe Robert Swinhoe FRS (1 September 1836 – 28 October 1877) was an English diplomat and naturalist who worked as a Consul in Formosa. He catalogued many Southeast Asian birds, and several, such as Swinhoe's pheasant, are named after him. Bio ...

in 1864. Formosan black bears are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

. In 2001, they were voted the most representative wildlife of Taiwan in a half-year-long countrywide voting campaign. They are also the largest land animals and the only native bears (''

Ursidae Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Nort ...

'') in

.Taiwan's Ecological Conservation
. Gio.gov.tw. Retrieved on 2011-09-26. Because of severe exploitation and habitat degradation in recent decades, populations of wild Formosan black bears have been declining. This species was listed as "endangered" under Taiwan's Wildlife Conservation Act (

Traditional Chinese A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

: 野生動物保育法) in 1989. Their geographic distribution is restricted to remote, rugged areas at elevations of .

Physical characteristics

The Formosan black bear is sturdily built and has a round head, short neck, small eyes, and long snout. Its head measures 26–35 cm in length and 40–60 cm in

circumference In geometry, the circumference (from Latin ''circumferens'', meaning "carrying around") is the perimeter of a circle or ellipse. That is, the circumference would be the arc length of the circle, as if it were opened up and straightened out to ...

. Its ears are 8–12 cm long. Its snout resembles a dog's, hence its nickname is "dog bear". Its tail is inconspicuous and short — usually less than 10 cm long. Its body is well covered with rough, glossy, black hair, which can grow over 10 cm long around the neck. The tip of its chin is white. On the chest, there is a distinctive yellowish or white mark that is shaped like a "V" character or a

crescent A crescent shape (, ) is a symbol or emblem used to represent the lunar phase in the first quarter (the "sickle moon"), or by extension a symbol representing the Moon itself. In Hinduism, Lord Shiva is often shown wearing a crescent moon on his ...

moon. This earns it another nickname — "moon bear".
It weighs from 60 kg to 200 kg.

Diet

They feed primarily on leaves, buds, fruits, roots, although they also eat insects, small animals, and

carrion Carrion () is the decaying flesh of dead animals, including human flesh. Overview Carrion is an important food source for large carnivores and omnivores in most ecosystems. Examples of carrion-eaters (or scavengers) include crows, vultures, c ...

. Diets of bears monitored in

Yushan National Park Yushan National Park () is one of the nine national parks in Taiwan and was named after the summit Yushan, the highest peak of the park.carbohydrate In organic chemistry, a carbohydrate () is a biomolecule consisting of carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) atoms, usually with a hydrogen–oxygen atom ratio of 2:1 (as in water) and thus with the empirical formula (where ''m'' may or ma ...

in summer, and fat-loaded hard mast (e.g.,

acorn The acorn, or oaknut, is the nut of the oaks and their close relatives (genera ''Quercus'' and '' Lithocarpus'', in the family Fagaceae). It usually contains one seed (occasionally two seeds), enclosed in a tough, leathery shell, and borne ...

and

walnut A walnut is the edible seed of a drupe of any tree of the genus ''Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, '' Juglans regia''. Although culinarily considered a "nut" and used as such, it is not a true ...

) in fall/winter.

Distribution

It is believed that it was once widespread across

(Formosa). It is now mostly confined to the mountain ranges. It can be found along the Central and Snow mountain ranges. The largest population of bears seem to be Lala mountain in Chatienshan Reserve, the (Snow) Mountain area in Sheipa National Park, and

Taroko National Park Taroko National Park () is one of the nine national parks in Taiwan and was named after the Taroko Gorge, the landmark gorge of the park carved by the Liwu River. The park spans Taichung Municipality, Nantou County, and Hualien County and is lo ...

south to Tawushan Reserve through

Yushan National Park Yushan National Park () is one of the nine national parks in Taiwan and was named after the summit Yushan, the highest peak of the park.

Habitat and behavior

The Formosan bear lives in the mountainous forests in the eastern two-thirds of Taiwan at elevations of . In the winter, rather than hibernating like

s in

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...

areas, they move to lower elevations to find food. They are active for 54–57% of daylight hours, and more active during summer (60%) and fall/winter (60%) than spring (47%). They are primarily active during the day in the spring and summer; and increasingly active at night in the fall/winter when

s are abundant. They are solitary and usually move around extensively except during the mating season or when caring for cubs. Formosan bears are also the only bears on the planet that make temporary nests. Although they look clumsy and slow, Formosan black bears can easily outrun humans, reaching speeds of 30–40 km per hour. They are skilled at swimming and climbing, as well. Because of their

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

status and their habit of avoiding humans, Formosan black bears are rarely seen in the wild. In most encounters the bear retreats and runs away from humans. Even though bears can be aggressive, they rarely attack humans without provocation.

Reproduction

Image:Ursus thibetanus formosanus 2-bear den 2006 dec.jpg, A bowl-shaped ground nest made by a bear Image:26-sucking_cubs.jpg, A mother bear nursing her cubs Image:Ursus thibetanus formosanus 44 days Feb 12.jpg, A 44-day-old cub Image:Ursus thibetanus formosanus cub on tree.jpg, A bear cub climbing in a tree As solitary animals, Formosan black bears do not stay in fixed shelters, except for females during their breeding period. The bear's courtship period is very brief. A male trails after a female for a few days. After mating, they return to their solitary lives. Females reach

sexual maturity Sexual maturity is the capability of an organism to reproduce. In humans it might be considered synonymous with adulthood, but here puberty is the name for the process of biological sexual maturation, while adulthood is based on cultural definitio ...

at age 3–4 and males reach sexual maturity at age 4–5, usually one year later than females. Mating is usually from June to August and

pregnancy Pregnancy is the time during which one or more offspring develops ( gestates) inside a woman's uterus (womb). A multiple pregnancy involves more than one offspring, such as with twins. Pregnancy usually occurs by sexual intercourse, but ca ...

lasts for 6–7 months. Thus, wild females usually give birth between December and the following February.
Each birth produces 1–3 cubs. Cubs will be nursed by mother for about six months. When they are strong enough to leave the den, bear cubs will remain with the mother for approximately two years, until the mother enters the next cycle of

estrus The estrous cycle (, originally ) is the set of recurring physiological changes that are induced by reproductive hormones in most mammalian therian females. Estrous cycles start after sexual maturity in females and are interrupted by anestrous ...

and drives the cubs off. This forms the 2-year reproductive cycle of Formosan black bears.

Conservation

Hunter and hunted

Formosan black bears (台灣黑熊) and Formosan clouded leopards (台灣雲豹) — two of the largest terrestrial predators on the island of

— used to roam over the ranges and mountains of

. However, while the leopard is now extinct, the bear, though endangered, has survived.
/ref> According to research by the Institute of Wildlife Conservation,

National Pingtung University of Science and Technology National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST; ) is a leading public university in Neipu Township, Pingtung County, Taiwan. NPUST occupies the in all of Taiwan. It was established in April 1924 as the Kaohsiung District Pingt ...

, this may be due to the myths and traditional taboos of

Taiwanese aborigines Taiwanese may refer to: * Taiwanese language, another name for Taiwanese Hokkien * Something from or related to Taiwan ( Formosa) * Taiwanese aborigines, the indigenous people of Taiwan * Han Taiwanese, the Han people of Taiwan * Taiwanese people, ...

.行政院國家科學委員會, National Science Council
. Web1.nsc.gov.tw. Retrieved on 2011-09-26.

Bunun people The Bunun (), also historically known as the Vonum, are a Taiwanese indigenous people. They speak the Bunun language. Unlike other aboriginal peoples in Taiwan, the Bunun are widely dispersed across the island's central mountain ranges. In the ye ...

call black bears ''Aguman'' or ''Duman'', which means the devil. If a Bunun hunter's trap accidentally traps a bear, he has to build a cottage in the mountains and burn the body of the bear there. He also has to stay in the cottage alone away from the village until the millet harvest is finished. Rukai and Paiwan people are allowed to hunt bears, but the hunters have to pay the price of carrying the ancient curse in return.

Rukai people The Rukai () are one of the indigenous people of Taiwan. They consist of six communities residing in southern Taiwan (Budai, Labuan, Tanan, Maga, Mantauran, and Tona), each of which has its own dialect of the Rukai language. As of the year 2014, ...

believe hunting bears can result in disease. Also, not everyone is allowed to eat bear meat, and children are strictly forbidden to do so. In Taroko ( Truku) legend, Formosan black bears are respectful "kings of the forest", whose white marks on their chests represent the moon. The Taroko people believe that killing black bears results in family disaster. In general, among these hunting tribes, hunters of boars are respected as heroes, while hunters of bears are considered losers.

Endangered species

From 1998 to 2000, 15 Formosan black bears were captured and radio collared in

Yushan National Park Yushan National Park () is one of the nine national parks in Taiwan and was named after the summit Yushan, the highest peak of the park.endangered animals An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

and protected by Taiwan's ''Cultural Heritage Preservation Law'' (

: 文化資產保存法). Internationally, the entire species of Asiatic black bear is listed o
Appendix I
of

CITES CITES (shorter name for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of interna ...

. CITES bans all international trade of any products from this species. The species is also listed on the

red list The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biologi ...

of the

International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natur ...

(

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

) as vulnerable. An indigenous Bunun hunter once said, "If there were no bears in the mountains, the forest would look empty and I would feel lonely." Mei-Hsiu Hwang of Institute of Wildlife Conservation, a campaigner for black-bear preservation, also said: "We do not wish to lose this soul of Taiwan's mountains. We do not wish our offspring to see them only in the zoo or in history books." There is still hope for the Formosan black bear. In 2009, Lin Yuan-Yuan (a member of Yushan National Park's black bear conservation group) recorded footage showing a mother bear attempting to help her two cubs cross a rapid near

Batongguan Trail Batongguan Historic Trail ( zh, t=八通關古道, p=Bātōngguān Gǔdào; romaji: ''Pattonkan Kodō'') is the name of two trails crossing the Central Mountain Range from Zhushan, Nantou to Yuli, Hualien in Taiwan. The first iteration of the tra ...

in the eastern section of Tafen (塔芬).Yushan National Park
/ref>

References

External links

Forestry Bureau, Council of Agriculture, Republic of China (Taiwan)

The Current Status of Formosan Black Bear in Taiwan by Y. Wang

Status and Management of the Formosan Black Bear in Taiwan by Yin Wang

The status and management of Asiatic black bears in Taiwan by MY Hwang and Y. Wang
* ; ; ; ; ; 2009: The complete mitochondrial genome of the Formosan black bear (''Ursus thibetanus formosanus''). ''Zootaxa'', 1971: 50–58.
Conservation and Research of Formosan Black Bear, Institute of Wildlife Conservation, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology
{{Taxonbar , from=Q716455 Bears Mammals of Taiwan Subspecies Taxa named by Robert Swinhoe