Himalayan bear where lives on what. The Himalayan bear is the owner of the sign of the moon. Description of the Himalayan bear and photo. Lifestyle and social behavior

It's no secret that the most dangerous inhabitants of the seas and oceans are sharks. There are about 350 species of them. This time the note will be devoted to the hammerhead shark. It got its name because of the unusual flat shape of the head, resembling a hammer. Among these sharks, there are 3 main species and the first among them is the giant hammerhead shark.

As the name suggests, these sharks are the largest. Their average body length is 6 meters, but larger specimens have come across. So off the coast of New Zealand, a hammerhead shark 7 meters 89 centimeters long and weighing 363 kilograms was caught.

Giant of the underwater world

There is a giant hammerhead shark in the warm waters of the Indian, Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It can be encountered both in the open ocean and in the coastal strip. The number of these sharks is not very large.

A distinctive feature of this shark is the flattened shape of the head, on the sides of which there are large outgrowths. Her 2 small eyes are located exactly at the edges of these outgrowths. This arrangement of the organs of vision gives the fish a 360-degree view.

On the front of the head are nostrils and small holes that capture the electric fields of other fish. Even if the prey dug into the sand from the shark, it will still feel it. It has been established that a shark can pick up electrical discharges of one millionth of a volt.

Along the edge of the head are nostrils and special holes that capture the electromagnetic field of fish

There is an opinion that such an unusual shape of the head serves as a kind of steering wheel for the shark.

Its mouth is littered with small, but very sharp teeth, so it poses a serious danger to humans. In a fight with her, staying alive is a great success.

The mouth of the hammerhead shark

These sharks eat almost everything that moves - fish, squid, crabs, mollusks, poisonous stingrays. The poison of the latter does not harm the sharks. Apparently they have already developed a kind of immunity to it. It is almost impossible for prey to escape from pursuit, because. these sharks are excellent swimmers and develop fairly high speeds when chasing. Their only natural enemy is man.

Hammerhead sharks are viviparous. At a time they bring 30-40 cubs. A newborn baby shark reaches a length of 50 centimeters and already swims well. When born, their hammer is turned back towards the body. It makes childbirth easier.

The most frequent cases of attacks by these sharks on bathers have been recorded on the shallow beaches of the Hawaiian Islands, Florida and the Philippines. This is due to the fact that these areas are the main breeding grounds for hammerhead sharks.

The sandy coast of the Hawaiian Islands is a favorite place for vacationers and hammerhead sharks

But people are not indebted either. They harvest these fish for their large and tasty fins, which are used to make the famous shark soup. As a result, the population of giant hammerhead sharks is rapidly declining. Sharks often die when caught in fishing nets. Now this fish is endangered.

shark fin

Hammerhead shark (hammerhead shark, or hammerhead fish (lat. Sphyrnidae)) is one of the most unusual creatures of nature. The eccentric appearance of the hammerhead shark inspires surprise mixed with fear, especially for those who have to face it for the first time.

In addition to the outlandish shape of the head, this predator is also quite large in size: the average length of hammerhead sharks is about 4 meters, and some specimens reach 7-8 meters.

Non-standard appearance and impressive dimensions do not prevent this fish from developing high speed and showing rare.

The ferocity of temper is also attributed to the features of the predator: it is believed that it is almost impossible to emerge victorious in a fight with this shark.

There are many mysteries surrounding the hammerhead fish.

Hammerhead shark: a fish surrounded by a halo of secrets

These unusual predators are accompanied by the same unusual stories, not all of which can be found a logical explanation. So, a mystery for scientists is the peculiarity of these in some specific places, most often, in underwater rocks.

Moreover, the "meetings" reach the greatest number by noon, and closer to the night, a flock of predators disperses in order to gather again the next day. Another question that has not yet been answered: why do females predominate in places of such mass concentrations?

It is also surprising that even in complete darkness, the hammerhead shark is perfectly oriented, without losing direction and without losing sight of the desired part of the world.

Perhaps the predator's navigational abilities are due to a special gift from the planet?

And one more curious fact: the researchers recorded about a dozen different signals that sharks gathered in flocks exchange with each other.

Several of them succumbed to decoding: these are obvious; scientists still have to guess about the significance of the rest.

Dangerous Hammerhead Shark:

However, the main reason for the attacks is that, by a strange and tragic coincidence, for breeding offspring, the hammerhead shark chooses the most favorite places for vacationers in shallow water.

During this period, hammerheads are distinguished by their extreme, so precedents occur from time to time, especially in the Hawaiian area.

However, much more harm is done to hammerhead fish by a man who exterminates millions of unfortunate predators for the sake of obtaining fins - the main ingredient of the legendary,.

Since time immemorial, man has endowed some wild animals with a special halo of mystery. These include white-breasted bears, which are the most ancient species. Their history goes back over one million years.

Appearance

This bear has several different names - Asian, black, Tibetan, and is better known as the Himalayan. His physique is not much different from other representatives of the bear family. But upon closer examination, you can see features that are unique to this species.

In size, white-breasted bears are significantly inferior to their brown relatives. Adult males reach a length of no more than 170 cm, and their weight ranges from 110 to 150 kg. The physique is lighter, so these bears are more mobile and agile. Large rounded ears, located on a relatively small head, give the animal a peculiar look. Shiny and silky fur of a beautiful black-tar color on the nape forms a kind of collar. The white mark on the chest in the form of a crescent is a special distinguishing mark of the bear, thanks to which it got its name. Life expectancy on average does not exceed 14 years. The meat of these animals is highly valued, which is of great interest to hunters. This was one of the reasons that today white-breasted bears are listed in the Red Book of Russia.

habitats

The Himalayan bear inhabits mountainous regions from Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan to Japan and Korea. In Russia, it lives mainly in the Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories. It is also found in northern Vietnam and the island of Taiwan.

This bear prefers to settle in cedar forests and fruit-bearing oak forests, where there is a Manchurian walnut, linden, avoids spruce-fir taiga, birch forests and low forests. Usually white-breasted bears live in the forest zone, located along river valleys, mountain slopes, the height of which does not exceed 700-800 meters. They love those places where they prevail. In the Himalayas, they can be found in summer and at an altitude of up to 4 km, in winter, bears usually descend to the foothills. White-breasted bears leave their chosen habitats only when there are problems with food.

Lifestyle

This animal spends most of its life in trees, foraging there and escaping from enemies.

Therefore, the bear climbs trees perfectly, doing it with great dexterity until old age. The time of descent even from a very high tree takes no more than 3 seconds.

He also arranges a lair on a tree, choosing for this a large deep hollow at a height of at least eight meters, or using an old tree with an empty core (poplar, linden or cedar) for this. It gnaws a hole of the required size in it and develops the size of the space inside the tree. Each bear has more than one such lair. In case of danger, there is always a fallback where he can hide. In hibernation, white-breasted bears spend about 5 months - from November to March, sometimes they leave their den only in April.

These animals mostly seek solitude. But it happens that in places where there is a lot of food, several individuals can gather together. At the same time, a hierarchy is strictly observed, taking into account the age and weight of the male. This is especially evident with the onset of the mating season.

Bears build relationships with each other with the help of visual contact, demonstrating their status by posture. If the animal sits down or lies down, this is the posture of submission. The same goes for going backwards. The dominant bear always moves towards its competitor.

The territory where white-breasted bears live is limited by urinary marks, with which males mark the boundaries of their possessions. In addition, they rub their backs against tree trunks, leaving their scent on them.

Food

The diet of these animals is mainly plant foods, so spring is the hardest time for them. Before green vegetation appears in abundance, plant buds, last year's remains of acorns and nuts, roots and bulbs, which have to be dug out of the ground, go to food.

At the beginning of summer, when the first grass appears, white-breasted bears descend into the valleys, eating young shoots of angelica, sedge and cow parsnip. They also do not miss the opportunity to eat bird eggs and chicks. When raspberries, currants, bird cherry, pine nuts ripen, they become the main food for bears. Even very old animals easily climb trees in search of food. At the same time, they make it quite interesting. Having broken off and gnawed a twig with fruits, the bear slips it under him, thus, after a while, something like a nest is formed under him. In it, he can stay for a very long time, eat and rest.

Just like their brown counterparts, white-breasted bears are big lovers of honey. Behind him, they are ready to climb to any height, gnaw through even the thickest wall of a tree where wild bees settled.

In a harvest year, only nuts and acorns are enough for a bear to accumulate fat reserves. For a month and a half of good feeding, the weight of fat reserves of an adult is usually up to 30% of body weight.

Reproduction and rearing of offspring

Bears reach sexually mature age by 3-4 years. The mating season lasts from about June to August, passing quite calmly. After 7 months, in winter, the female usually gives birth to 1 or 2 almost naked and blind cubs. Their weight does not exceed 800 g. After a month and a half, the babies are first covered with a gray fluff, which is soon replaced by black wool. They already see and hear well enough, they can move around the den.

With the onset of spring, when a constant positive temperature is established, the cubs leave the den with their mother. By this time, their weight increases by 5 times. They feed mainly on mother's milk, and with the advent of green grass, they gradually switch to which is especially abundant in river valleys. There, together with their mother, small white-breasted bears descend, where they live until autumn.

The next winter they spend all together in a den, and by autumn they are already starting an independent life.

Limiting factors

Human economic activity and poaching cause great harm to the population of these bears. The local population rarely follows the rules of hunting, shooting animals at any time of the year, often after they hibernate, even though the white-breasted bears are listed in the Red Book of Russia.

Another factor contributing to the decline in the number of these animals is commercial deforestation and fires. Hunters in search of prey often cut holes in hollow trees, after which they become unsuitable for bears. All this deprives animals of safe conditions for hibernation. It happens that they are forced to spend the winter right on the ground.

The lack of reliable shelter leads to an increase in the death of bears from predators. They may be attacked by a tiger, and cubs are often preyed upon by wolves and lynxes.

Protection measures

After the white-breasted bear is listed in the Red Book, hunting for it is completely prohibited. Particular attention is paid to the conservation of the main habitats of this species and strict control over the cessation of the destruction of its shelters. An intensified fight against wolves is also aimed at preserving the population of white-breasted bears. In order to restore the number of these animals, sanctuaries and reserves with favorable habitat conditions are being created. Apiaries, where bears often visit, are equipped with special scaring devices.

Himalayan bear and man

This dexterous, despite its clumsy appearance, and quick-witted animal has long attracted man. There are many stories and legends about him. The ability of the white-breasted bear to easily adapt to captivity has led some representatives of this species to become real circus performers. They are highly trainable and learn different tricks.

The permanent inhabitant of the zoo, causing a lot of audience sympathy, is the white-breasted bear. The Red Book, where these animals are listed, classifies them as vulnerable, and inclusion in Appendix 1 of the CITES Convention means that the movement of bears for commercial purposes is prohibited.

Still, it is quite difficult to keep Himalayan bears in captivity. In order to return them to the Primorsky Territory, a rehabilitation center has been created, where animals are trained to live in the wild.

Kingdom: Animals Phylum: Chordates Class: Mammals Order: Carnivores Family: Bears Genus: Bears Species: Himalayan bear

Scientific name: Ursus thibetanus
Common name:
English– Asiatic Black Bear, Himalayan Black Bear
French- Ours du Tibet, Ours à collier, Ours de l "Himalaya, Ours noir d" Asie
Spanish– Oso de Collar, Oso Negro de Asia
Species Authority: G. Cuvier, 1823

white-breasted bear

Is under the threat of extinction.

The appearance is similar to that of the brown bear (see the description of the Tien Shan bear), but the physique is lighter. The head is relatively small with a long muzzle. The ears are very large and set wide apart.

The tail is short, hidden in the fur. Claws large, sharply curved. The hairline is dense, rather high and luxuriant, or more sparse and low. The color of winter fur is black, dark brown or reddish brown. On the chest there is a large, sharply defined light spot, elongated in the transverse direction, having a crescent or crescent shape, with the ends of the "sickle" directed forward.

Distributed in Afghanistan, Pakistan, North India, China, in the southeast of Primorsky Krai in the USSR, on the Korean Peninsula, in Japan, on the Indochina Peninsula. They inhabit forests. They hibernate for the winter. Omnivorous. The female in the litter usually brings two cubs. The number has dropped significantly in recent years.

Ussuri white-breasted bear

According to the classification, it is a rare subspecies, the number of which decreases from year to year. In the USSR, the northern part of the range of the subspecies is located.

Appearance, see the description of the white-breasted bear. The subspecies is characterized by relatively large sizes. Body length up to 200 cm. Winter fur is shiny black, rather dense, high and lush. Distributed in the Northeast and northern parts of East China and on the Korean Peninsula.

The range in Russia captures the Khabarovsk and Primorsky Territories. In the north, the range border runs from the Chinese border along the Bureinsky Range and east to Sovetskaya Gavan. In the area of ​​Komsomolsk-on-Amur, there is a gap in the range.

Inhabits cedar-broad-leaved forests of the Manchurian type, oak forests and cedar forests with Manchurian walnut and Mongolian oak. They prefer river valleys and adjacent slopes.

Ussuri white-breasted bears willingly climb trees and feed on them. They hibernate in late October - early November. For the winter, they prefer to lie down in the hollows of old trees, usually Maksimovich's poplars and chosenias. Often also occur in caves and rock crevices. They leave the den in the second half of April.

Depending on the condition of the food, they can move over considerable distances of 200-300 km. In the spring, after leaving wintering and before the appearance of green vegetation, they feed on last year's cedar "nuts" and acorns. Insect larvae are harvested.

In May - June they eat stems of butterbur, hogweed, angelica, sedge, oak ovaries, leaves of Amur velvet and Manchurian walnut. In July-August and early September they feed on bird cherry fruits.

In August, in addition, Amur rizema and its bulbs, killer whales, oak ovaries and other plants are included in food. In September, they feed on acorns, cedar cones, sea anemones, and Amur grapes. At the end of September, "nuts" of cedar and acorns are almost the only food.

The rut runs from mid-June to mid-August. The female brings two, rarely one or three cubs from late December to mid-February, occasionally until early March.

The number of Ussuri white-breasted bears in the Soviet Far East is estimated at 7-8 thousand heads. “The decrease in it is connected with the destruction by man, the destruction of the hollows in which the bear spends the winter, and with the development by man of its habitats.

They are protected in the reserves: Sikhote-Alinsky, Ussuriysky, Kedrovaya Pad, Lazovsky, Bolshekhekhtsirsky, Khingansky, Komsomolsky.

Photo: Author: Vicpeters Russian Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/
w/index.php?curid=39290794

IUCN assessment information

1996 - Vulnerable (VU) (vulnerable) 1994 - Vulnerable (V) (vulnerable) 1990 - Vulnerable (V) (vulnerable)
Distribution area Photo: Author: Korzun Andrey (Kor!An) - own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8400191
Literature (source): Sokolov V.E. Rare and endangered animals. Mammals: Sprav, allowance. - M.: Higher. school., 1986.-519 p. l.
- http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/22824/0

The Himalayan black bear is also known as the lunar, Ussuri or white-breasted. This is a medium-sized representative of the species, largely adapted to arboreal life.

Description of the white-breasted bear

Morphologically, the species has similarities with some kind of prehistoric bear. According to scientists, he is the ancestor of most "bears", except for the panda and spectacled bears. Although, it is mainly represented by herbivorous individuals, some of which may show signs of aggression towards people and animals that have declared a hunt for them.

Appearance

The Asiatic bear has a black and light brown muzzle, a whitish chin, and a pronounced wedge-shaped white chest patch. The disproportionately large protruding ears of the white-breasted bear are bell-shaped. The length of the tail is 11 cm. The width of the shoulders of an adult bear is 70-100 cm, the height is about 120-190 cm, depending on the sex and age of the animal. Adult males weigh from 60 to 200 kg, the average weight is about 135 kg. Adult females weigh between 40-125 kg. Especially large ones reach 140 kg.

Asiatic black bears are similar in appearance to brown bears, but have a lighter body structure with thinner fore and hind limbs. The lips and nose of the Himalayan bear are larger and more mobile than those of the brown one. The skull of a black bear is relatively small, but massive, especially in the region of the lower jaw. It measures from 311.7 to 328 mm long and 199.5–228 mm wide. While the female is 291.6–315 mm long and 163–173 mm wide. Although the animal is primarily a herbivore, the structure of the skull is not similar to that of pandas. They have narrower brow ridges, lateral leaflets, and the temporalis muscles are much thicker and stronger.

It is interesting! On average, adult Himalayan bears are slightly smaller than American blacks, but especially large males can exceed the size of other species. At the same time, the sense system of the Himalayan bear is more developed than that of the brown bear.

The Himalayan bear has a unique paw structure, even with broken hind limbs, it can still climb up a tree using only its front ones. It has a more powerful upper body and relatively weak hind legs than species that spend long periods standing on the ground. Even the claws on the front paws of the white-breasted bear are slightly longer than on the hind ones. This is necessary for climbing trees and the ability to dig.

Character and lifestyle

Asian black bears are diurnal, although they are frequent guests at human dwellings at night. They may live in family groups consisting of two adults and two successive broods. Himalayan bears are good climbers, they climb to heights to hide from enemies, hunt or just relax. According to the Ussuri region, black bears spend up to 15% of their time in trees. They break branches and branches to improve the place for feeding and sleeping. Himalayan black bears do not hibernate for long periods.

Asiatic black bears have a wide range of sounds. They grunt, whine, growl, champ. Special sounds are made during anxiety and anger. They hiss loudly when conveying warnings or threats, and scream when fighting. At the moment of approaching other bears, they make clicks of the tongue and "croak" during the courtship of the opposite sex.

How long do Himalayan bears live?

The average lifespan in the wild is 25 years, while an old Asian black bear in captivity died at the age of 44.

Range, habitats

They are common in the Himalayas, in the northern part of the Indian Subcontinent, Korea, Northeast China, the Russian Far East, Honshu and Shikoku, the island of Japan, and Taiwan. Black bears, as a rule, inhabit deciduous and mixed forests, deserts. They rarely live above 3700m in the Himalayas in summer, and descend to 1500m in winter.

Black bears occupy a narrow strip from the southeast of Iran to the east through Afghanistan and Pakistan, in the foothills of the Himalayas in India, in Myanmar. With the exception of Malaysia, black bears are found throughout mainland Southeast Asia. They are absent in the Central-Eastern part of China, although they have a focal distribution in the southern and northeastern parts of the country. They can be seen in the southern part of the Russian Far East and in North Korea. Most of them are in South Korea. Black white-breasted bears also exist in Japan, off the island of Honshu and Shikoku, and in Taiwan and Hainan.

There are no unequivocal estimates regarding the number of Asian black bears. Japan has collected data on 8-14,000 individuals living in Honshu, although the reliability of these data has not been officially confirmed. Russian WGW population estimates are 5,000-6,000. In 2012, the Japanese Ministry of the Environment recorded a population of 15,000-20,000 individuals. Rough density estimates without supporting data have been made in India and Pakistan, resulting in 7,000-9,000 individuals in India and 1,000 in Pakistan.

Himalayan bear diet

At their core, white-breasted bears are more herbivorous than brown relatives, but more predatory than American black bears. Unlike, the white-breasted bear does not depend on a constant supply of low-calorie food. It is more omnivorous and unscrupulous, favoring highly nutritious foods in smaller volumes. They eat enough, putting in reserve in body fat, after which they peacefully go into hibernation during a period of food shortage. In times of scarcity, they wander into river valleys to access hazelnuts and insect larvae from rotting logs.

It is interesting! Himalayan black bears are omnivores. They feed on insects, beetles, larvae, termites, carrion, eggs, bees, all kinds of small debris, mushrooms, herbs, flowers and berries. They also eat fruits, seeds, nuts and grains.

From mid-May until the end of June, they will supplement their diet with green vegetation and fruits. From July to September, bears of this species climb trees to eat bird cherry, cones, vines and grapes. On rare occasions, they eat dead fish during spawning, although this represents a much smaller portion of their diet than that of the Brown Bear. They are more predatory than American brown bears and are capable of killing ungulates, including domestic cattle, with some regularity. Wild prey include muntjac deer, wild boar and adult buffalo. A white-breasted bear can kill by breaking the neck of the victim.

Reproduction and offspring

Within the Sikhote-Alin, the breeding season for black bears is earlier than for brown bears, from mid-June to mid-August. Birth also occurs earlier - in mid-January. By October, the volume of the uterus of a pregnant female grows to 15-22 mm. At the end of December, the embryos weigh 75 grams. The first litter of a female appears at about the age of three years. Usually, a female bear recovers 2-3 years between births.

Pregnant females typically make up 14% of the population. Births take place in caves or tree hollows in winter or early spring after a gestation period of 200-240 days. Cubs weigh 370 grams at birth. On day 3, they open their eyes, and on day 4 they can already move independently. Litter can consist of 1-4 cubs. They have a slow growth rate. By May, babies reach only 2.5 kg. They become completely independent at the age of 24-36 months.

It is interesting! Black bears are also hunted. Russian hunters can often meet on the way carcasses of white-breasted bears with traces of a predatory tiger. In confirmation, tiger excrement can be seen near the remains.

In order to escape, bears climb high into the trees to wait for the predator to get bored and leave. The tiger, in turn, can pretend to have retired, waiting somewhere nearby. Tigers regularly prey on young bears, for adults often take the fight.

Black bears tend to move into the safety zone from tiger attacks by the age of five. White-breasted are brave fighters. Jim Corbett once saw a Himalayan bear chasing a tiger despite having part of its scalp torn off and a paw injured.