the american black bear

Thanks for the correction Daniele. Sorry for any confusion I may have caused. I do still believe this is an Asian Black Bear.

Hi ForestDragon! While I know little about American bears I do read in Wikipedia that some specimens of American black bears develop a white “crescent moon” mark on the chest. This white mark, which is constant in Asiatic black bears, occurs in only 25% of American black bears. Maybe the extend of the mark differs between to two species? I hope someone can tell us more:-) Maybe our student here can also confirm whether there was any label or information at the zoo display.

Hi FFK8. Nice bear! I agree with Victoria. This is actually an Asian Black Bear, Ursus thibetanus. There are some differences between American Black Bears and Asian Black Bears. One of the easiest differences to see is the white marking on the chest. American Black Bears do not have that. They are different in body shape as well. You can compare the two below.

Asian Black Bear: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ursus_...
American Black Bear: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_bl...

Hi there FFK8! The scientific name for the American black bear is Ursus americanus. Can you please edit your spotting and make the correction. American black bear should go as common name.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_bl...