Taiwanese black bear
| Taiwanese black bear | ||||||||||||
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Taiwanese black bear ( Ursus thibetanus formosanus ) |
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| Ursus thibetanus formosanus | ||||||||||||
| Swinhoe , 1864 |
The Taiwanese black bear ( Ursus thibetanus formosanus ) is a subspecies of the Asiatic black bear ( Ursus thibetanus ). The Taiwanese black bear is native to Taiwan and, besides the sambar deer, is the largest wild animal and the only bear species on the island. He is mostly in the mountain forests , which cover the eastern two thirds of the island. It is usually seen at an altitude of 1000 to 3500 meters. In earlier times he colonized the high altitudes of the entire island of Taiwan, while today the animals only live in individual regions of the Central Mountains and the Xueshan Mountains .
The Taiwanese black bear is an omnivore . Leaves, buds, fruits, roots, insects and smaller animals make up the majority of its food. On occasion he also eats carrion. Black bears are loners and roam far and wide. Only the females stay true to their place while the young are raised.
Danger
The bear has enjoyed absolute protection status since 1989. The number of wild animals has been estimated at 200 to 300, so the IUCN has classified it as critically endangered.
The bear is most at risk from the destruction and human sprawl of its habitat. Illegal hunting also poses a certain problem. Quite a few bears are seriously injured by illegal traps (traps, etc.). Bear bile , fat, bones, meat and blood play some role in traditional Chinese medicine . Bear paws used to be considered a delicacy. In a publication from 1989 it was estimated that a hunted bear earned the hunter half an annual income. A bear's gallbladder alone was valued at an average of US $ 831.
literature
- Ronald M. Novak: Walker's Carnivores of the World . JHU Press 2005, ISBN 978-0-8018-8032-2 , pp. 117–119 ( limited online copy in Google Book Search - USA )
Web links
- Collar bear (Ursus thibetanus) (species portrait of WWF Germany )
Individual evidence
- ^ Formosan black bear. Bear Conservation, accessed December 16, 2017 .
- ↑ Mei-hsiu Hwang, Ying Wang: Chapter 15: The Status and Management of Asiatic Black Bears in Taiwan. (PDF) Bear Conservation, accessed December 16, 2017 .
- ^ Y. Wang: The Current Status of Formosan Black Bear in Taiwan . In: International Association of Bear Research and Management (Ed.): Bears: Their Biology and Management . tape 8 , 1990, p. 1-4 , JSTOR : 3872896 (English).