Asian Black Bear

The Asian black bear, also called the moon bear for the pale, crescent-shaped patch of fur on its chest, is a medium-sized bear species found across a broad swath of Asia, from Iran and the Himalayas through East Asia, including parts of China, the Korean Peninsula, and Japan. It has a shaggy black coat, large rounded ears, and spends much of its life in forested, often mountainous terrain, climbing trees skillfully to feed and to escape danger. It is omnivorous, eating a wide variety of fruit, nuts, insects, and small animals, and in temperate parts of its range it dens and enters a period of winter dormancy. Its population has declined across much of its range due to habitat loss and poaching for its gall bladder and other body parts used in traditional medicine.