Gobi bear

The Gobi bear, Ursus arctos gobiensis (known in Mongolian as the mazaalai / Мазаалай) is a subspecies of the brown bear, Ursus arctos, that is found in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia. It is listed as critically endangered by Mongolian Redbook of Endangered Species and by the Zoological Society of London using IUCN standards, the population included only around 20 adults and were separated by enough distance.^[1]

"Break camp about 9.30 a.m. and head for the Atis Mountains. We cross a large open plain and then enter a steep-sided, black, shale-strewn valley. Just before we entered the valley we discovered the footprints of the extremely rare Gobi Bear (ursus gobiensis)[there are presumed to be approximately only thirty-two in the world and there is continuing debate among scientists over whether they are a true species or a sub-species]."^[2]

Gobi bears mainly eat roots, berries, and other plants, sometimes rodents, there were no evidence that they ate large mammals. Small compared to other brown bear subspecies, adult males weigh about 96.0–138.0 kilograms (211.6–304.2 lb) and females about 51.0–78.0 kilograms (112.4–172.0 lb).^[1]

The Gobi brown bear is sometimes classified as being of the same subspecies as the Tibetan blue bear; this is based on morphological similarities, and the belief that the desert-dwelling Gobi bear represents a relict population of the blue bear. However, the Gobi bear is sometimes classified as its own subspecies, and closely resembles other Asian brown bears.

Footnotes

References

• Hare (2009). Mysteries of the Gobi: Searching for Wild Camels and Lost Cities in the Heart of Asia. John Hare. I.B. Tauris. ISBN 978-1-84511-512-8.
• National Geographic : http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/special-features/2014/04/140417-rarest-bears-world-mongolia-gobi/

Sources

• Ursus arctos gobiensis