| Formosan Black Bear | |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Ursidae |
| Genus: | Ursus |
| Species: | U. thibetanus |
| Subspecies: | U. t. formosanus |
| Trinomial name | |
| Ursus thibetanus formosanus Swinhoe, 1864 |
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| Synonyms | |
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Selenarctos thibetanus formosanus |
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The Formosan Black Bear (台灣黑熊, Ursus thibetanus formosanus, or Selenarctos thibetanus formosanus), also known as the white-throated bear, is a subspecies of the Asiatic Black Bear. Formosan black bears are an endemic species to Taiwan. 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) in Taiwan.[1]
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 Cultural Heritage and Preservation Law (Traditional Chinese: 文化資產保存法) in 1989. Their geographic distribution is restricted to remote, rugged areas at elevations of 1,000–3,500 metres (3,300–11,000 ft).
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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. 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 whitish mark that is shaped like a "V" character or a crescent moon. This earns it another nickname — "moon bear".[2]
Life and behaviour
Although omnivorous, Formosan black bears maintain a primarily vegetarian diet. They feed primarily on leaves, buds, fruits, roots, although they also eat insects, small animals, and carrion. Diets of bears monitored in Yushan National Park include succulent vegetation in spring, soft fruits rich in carbohydrate in summer, and fat-loaded hard mast (e.g., acorn and walnut) in fall/winter. They are solitary and usually move around extensively except during the mating season or when caring for cubs.
Unlike Asiatic black bears in temperate areas, Formosan black bears do not hibernate in winter. They are active 54-57% of the time over the entire day, 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 acorns are abundant.
Formosan black-bears can not only swim, but also climb. Although they may look clumsy and slow, they can easily outrun humans with a speed of 30-40 km per hour. Even though the bears can be aggressive, they rarely attack humans for no reason. Given the long history of being hunted and their sharp senses of smell and hearing, bears usually run away from humans. Because Formosan black bears are rare, they are hardly seen in the wild. In most sightings that have occurred, bears have usually retreated and pulled back from encounters with humans. If a black bear is encountered in the wild, the most appropriate strategy is to keep quiet and leave the area calmly. Maintaining a distance without disturbing the bears is the safest strategy for both humans and bears.The formosan bear lives in the mountains
Reproduction
 A bowl-shaped ground nest made by a bear |
 A mother bear nursing her cubs |
 A 44-days old cub |
 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 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 can last for 6-7 months. Thus, wild females usually give birth between December and the following February.[3]
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 and drives the cubs off. This forms the 2-year reproductive cycle of Formosan black bears.[3]
Hunter and hunted
Formosan Black Bears (台灣黑熊) and Formosan Clouded Leopards (台灣雲豹) — two of the most powerful land animals on the island of Taiwan — used to roam and reign over the ranges and mountains on the island of Taiwan. However, their fates are quite different: leopards have become extinct and the bears though endangered have survived.[4] According to research by the Institute of Wildlife Conservation, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, this may be due to the myths and traditional taboos of Taiwanese aborigines.[5]
Bunun people 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 up the body of the bear there. He has also to stay in the cottage alone away from the village until the harvest of millet 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 believe hunting bears can result in diseases. Also, not every one is allowed to eat bear meat, and children are strongly forbidden to do so. In Taroko (Truku) legends, Formosan black bears are respectful “kings of the forest” whose white mark on the chest represents the moon. The Taroko people believe that killing black bears results in family disasters. In general among these hunting tribes, hunters of boars are respected as heroes, while hunters of bears are considered as losers.[4]
Endangered species
From 1998 to 2000, there were fifteen Formosan black bears captured and radio collared in Yushan National Park. Reported bear sightings are very low and no one knows exactly how many of them still exist. The species has been legally protected since 1989 but illegal hunting continues and such poaching continues to threaten Formosan black bear populations. For example, eight of fifteen bears captured in a survey had missing toes or paws, caused by illegal traps.
Since 1989, Formosan black bears were listed as endangered animals and protected by Taiwan's Cultural Heritage Preservation Law (Traditional Chinese: 文化資產保存法). Internationally, this species is listed on Appendix I of CITES. CITES bans all international trade of any products from this species. The Formosan black bear is also on the red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) which declares that these bears are vulnerable to extinction.
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 black-bear conservation group) witnessed and recorded a film showing a mother bear attempting to help her two cubs to cross a rapid near Batongguan Historic Trail (八通關古道) in the eastern section of Tafen (塔芬). Just like Lin — a Bunun hunter who has become a park ranger in Yushan National Park — everyone should chime in on the conservation effort. Only then, can success be declared in the black bear conservation project.
Popular culture
The logo of La New Bears, a professional baseball team in Taiwan, features a Formosan Black Bear.
References
- ^ Taiwan Government Information Office: [1]
- ^ Physical Characteristics of Formosan Black Bear[2]
- ^ a b Breeding Life of Formosan Black Bear[3]
- ^ a b Traditional Indigenous Hunting vs. Bears[4]
- ^ National Science Council, Republic of China (Taiwan): [5]
See also
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
- Tsai, C.-l.; Chou, Y.-c.; Shih, C.-c.; Cheng, H.-c.; Yang, C.-c.; Kao, H.-w. 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
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