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Brown Bear (Ursus Arctos)
Habitat:
It lives in forested areas of highest densities in remote
parts of the Alborz and Zagros mountains.
Diet:
Berries, grasses, nuts, wild cherries, honey, fish, animal
carcasses and insects.
Occasionally moose, deer, elk, and caribou are killed
and eaten. They eat about anything and consume as much as
90 pounds of food per day.
Size:
Length, 1.24 to 2.5 meters; weight 45.3 to 816 kg. Adult
brown bears may weigh more than 1,000 times their birth weight.
Range:
Brown
bears are found in many areas, but no good estimation is available
on their number. However, since they eat almost anything and
are highly adjustable, they seem
still to live in considerable number in West, Lorestan
(in Zagros mountains), Central and
northern Alborz mountain range (Caspian forest;
about 900 km long and 50-100 km wide), Arazbaran
(part of Azarbaijan) and Khorasan province.
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Bears
have been hunted in Iran for Thousands years.
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The situation in the Azarbaijan and in Zagros mountains seems less
promising than the Alborz area, mainly due to deforestation and
heavy human pressure. Present status in the country unknown but
according to the offecial report of Iranian Department
Of the Environment in Mazandaran (north of Iran) during one
census from 12/1993-2/1994 a nomber of 147
brown bears were observed and been recognized in the forests
of Mazandaran. There are not other statices from the early years
for the comparison status of bears in this area.
Other living areas:
Mazandaran
---------(Last report in: 9.1996)
Shiraz-Dashteh Ajan- (Last report in: 6.1997)
Ghazvin--------------(Last report in: ?)
Mating:
Brown bears give birth to two to four cubs usually in January,
February, or March. Cubs weight slightly less than one pound at
birth, but they gain weight quickly because bear milk is very high
in fat content.
Asian Black Bear
(Ursus Selenarctos thibetanus gedrosianus)
The Black Bear also known as Baluchistan Bear or it is called by
the local people of Sistan & Baluchestan of Iran as "Mam".
It is seen as having long black or dark brown hair. Shoulders and
the outer parts of limbs seem darker. It has white on the chest
in the shape of a V and large, tufted ears.
In bear-literature nothing can be found about this occurrence.
The Asiatic black bear was thought to have become extinct in southeastern
Iran in the late 60-ies, but was "re-discovered" in 1973. It is
still in danger to become extinct as a result of overhunting.
Size:
Adult
bears attain a head and shoulder height of 140 cm -195 cm, tail
length varies between 7-10 cm and weigh about 90-180 kg.
Diet:
Black
Bears feed on green plants, fruits, berries, seeds, termites, bees
and other insects, also honey and small vertebrates like birds and
rodents. Black Bears make fewer attacks on other larger animals
than Brown Bears and rarely attack humans.
Range:
They
are seen mainly in forest habitats of the South of Kerman, Baluchestan
and Hormozgan. They are seen mainly in the mountainous regions of
Zebli; Ghassar-Ghand and Beerak Mountain ranges in Baluchestan;
Beshaghard Mountains in Hormozghan; and Jebal Barz forest, Delfard,
Bahr Asseman and Kehnooj in the South of Kerman.
Mating:
Mating
takes place at the end of spring and early summer and it is likely
that between one to three cubs are born in winter.
Habitat:
The black bear lives generaly in remaining forested areas and
near permanent water supply. It have been seen to climb trees more
than other species, and usually travel several kilometers each night
to feed and return early in the morning the following day. For years
cubs were killed regularly by farmers when they were seen to climb
date palms.
