Gobi bear
Subspecies of carnivore
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Gobi bear (Ursus arctos gobiensis), known in Mongolian as the Mazaalai (Мазаалай), is a subspecies of the brown bear (Ursus arctos) found in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia.[2] It is listed as critically endangered by the Mongolian Redbook of Endangered Species and by IUCN standards.[3] Currently, there are only 31 (95% CI: 28 - 38) bears left in the Mongolian Gobi Desert; through long-term genetic monitoring it is known that the population is relatively stable, however, the sex ratio is highly skewed towards males.[4] Gobi bears are separated by enough distance from other brown bear populations to achieve reproductive isolation. In 1959, hunting of the animal was prohibited in order to preserve the dying subspecies.[5]
| Gobi bear | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Ursidae |
| Subfamily: | Ursinae |
| Genus: | Ursus |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: | U. a. gobiensis |
| Trinomial name | |
| Ursus arctos gobiensis Sokolov & Orlov, 1920 | |
Description
The diet of a Gobi Bear is only about 8% animal protein.[6] Gobi bears mainly eat roots, berries, other plants, and sometimes rodents; there is no evidence that they prey on large mammals. Gobi bears are typically solitary, except during the mating season and cub rearing. In general, the bears in the Gobi demonstrate seasonal behaviors: foraging is done during the warmer months, while hibernation with reduced activity is done during the harsh winters.
The Gobi bear is small compared to other brown bear subspecies: adult males weigh about 96–138 kg (212–304 lb) and females about 51–78 kg (112–172 lb).[7] Gobi bears are the only bears that have evolved and adapted to living in such extreme hot desert climates.[4] They have a very low genetic diversity,[8][9] among the lowest ever observed in any subspecies of brown bear, as it is one of the smallest and most isolated brown bear populations in the world.[4] Levels of genetic diversity similar to those of the Gobi bears have been reported only in a small population of brown bears in the Pyrenees Mountains on the border of Spain and France.[4]
Conservation and research
The Gobi bear population is restricted to 23,600 km2 (9,100 mi2) in areas that are in close proximity to water sources (Reynolds et al. 2010, Luvsamjamba et al. 2016), and the population is isolated from other populations by inhospitable low-elevation deserts, pastoral activities, and human settlements.[4] A supplemental feeding program has been in place since 1985: pellets containing wheat (Triticum aestivum), corn (Zea mays), carrots (Daucus carota sativus), and turnips (Brassica rapa) are provided in spring and autumn at feeders located near selected waterholes throughout the Great Gobi Strictly Protected Area (GGSPA).[6][8][4]
Previously, the Gobi brown bear has sometimes been classified as being in the same subspecies as the Tibetan blue bear based on geography or the Himalayan brown bear[10] based on mitochondrial short fragment studies. However, whole-genome and larger mitochondrial DNA analyses have revealed that Gobi and Himalayan brown bears are distinct lineages that have a shared ancestry; collectively, they are the oldest lineage in their divergence time from all other brown bears.[2][9]
Habitat loss, climate change, and human encroachment have affected the ecology of the Gobi bear. A total of 51 bears were found during 1996–2018, but the current[when?] population size is a relatively stable 31 (95% CI: 29-38) based on the long-term genetic study. According to the Gobi Bear Project, there are fewer than 40 bears remaining in the wild[4] and none in captivity.
