Facts about Tibetan Blue Bear, "Scientific name for Blue Bear is Ursus arctos pruinosus". The Blue Bear is also called the Tibetan Bear, Tibetan Blue Bear, Himalayan Blue Bear, Tibetan Brown Bear, Himalayan Snow Bear, Horse Bear and Ursus arctos. In Tibetan, the Blue Bear is called dom gyamuk.
Related Species of Blue Bear
The Himalayan Blue Bear is a separate species from the Himalayan Black Bear, species name Selenarctos thibetanus laniger. The Himalayan Black Bear has black fur and a light brown muzzle. They are a little shorter than the Blue Bear. The Himalayan Blue Bear is also a separate species from the Ursus arctos isabellinus or Isabellinus or Himalayan Brown Bear. The Ursus arctos isabellinus or Himalayan Brown Bear, also known as the Himalayan Red Bear, is smaller than the Blue Bear and more reddish or tan in color.
Appearance of Tibetan Blue Bear
This Blue Bear is a cold-adapted version of the Asian Brown Bear. It may or may not be a subspecies of the Gobi Brown Bear. The face is usually reddish yellow. The adults have a ring of beige fur on the neck and chest. Young Tibetan Blue Bear are lighter in color than the adults.
The Blue Bear is rarely seen in the wild, and most of what is known about it comes from fur and bone samples. It was identified as a subspecies in 1854 from these remnants. It may or may not be extinct in the wild today.
Physical Characteristics Blue Bear
The Blue Bear receives its name for the white outer coat mixed with brown that results in a blue tint to its fur.
They grow to be six to seven feet (two meters) in length, one meter at the shoulder.
Cubs stay with the mother for at least a year. They reach sexual maturity at three to four years of age.
Behavior of Tibetan Blue Bear
The Yeti is regularly reported in snow fields and on high snowy peaks. Bears rarely venture this high except in search of mates or in times of food scarcity.
All of the Himalayan Bears are diurnal. The Tibetan Blue Bear are most active around sunrise and sunset, but many have shifted to nocturnal activity to avoid predation by humans. The Blue Bear eat pretty much anything, from nuts, fruit, honey, insects, and roots. The Blue Bear will attack livestock like sheep, goats, and cattle if their natural foods are lacking. They primarily only attack humans if their cubs are threatened.
They hibernate through the winter, with mothers giving birth while hibernating.
Habitat Blue Bear
It is native to the western part of the Himalayas. It is found in eastern Tibet’s mountains, western China, Nepal, and sometimes in Bhutan. It tends to live near the tree line at high altitudes.
Trivia about Blue Bear
The Blue Bear may actually be the inspiration for the story of the Yeti. For example, Sir Edmund Hillary’s 1960 expedition for the Yeti brought back scraps of fur that were identified later as belonging to the Blue Bear.
The Blue Bear is considered highly endangered, as is the Gobi Bear. The Blue Bear’s greatest threat is not hunters seeking food and pelts but the bear’s bile for use in Chinese medicine.
Trade blue bear products is prohibited by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species or CITES.