| TAIWAN WILDLIFE |
| The Formosan Black Bear |
| Sturdily built, Formosan black bears have a round head, short neck, small eyes, and long snout. They are well covered with rough yet very glossy black hair, which can be >10 cm in length, particularly around the neck. The tip of the chin is white. On the chest is a yellowish or whitish mark shaped like a V or crescent moon. |
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| Physical Characteristics |
| According to early records, Formosan black bears were widely distributed in forests from low to high elevations in the Central Mountain Range and between 100-1,000 m in elevation in the East Coast Range. Due to rapid human development in recent decades, many large mammal species including Formosan black bears have been constrained to the rugged and steep terrain remote from human activities.
¡@¡@Current populations of wild Formosan black bears are declining. Also decreasing are the areas of their distribution. Unfortunately, we do not know their actual distribution or density on Taiwan Island. Based on rough surveys, there seems to be more bear activity in distant Central Mountain Range where there is less illegal hunting. As for the East Coast Range, the bears have not been seen for quite some time. |
| Geographic Distribution |
| Food Habits |
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| Many people mistakenly think of bears are purely carnivorous. In fact, bears are omnivorous animals and are mainly vegetarian. They forage on a variety of food, including different parts of plants (such as tender growth, leaves, stems, roots, and fruits), mushrooms, insects, shrimp, crab and other mammals. They also dig into ant nests and bee hives for food. |
| ¡@¡@Food sources for wild Formosan black bears vary with season. Since they are opportunists, these bears eat almost everything available. In spring, they feed on the fresh juicy tender growth of plants. When summer comes, they eat fruits and berries rich in carbohydrate, such as berries of Rubus sp., Taiwan loquat (Eriobotrya deflexa), wild kiwi (Actinidia sp.), and fruits from Family Lauraceae such as nanmu (Machilus thunbergii, Machilus japonica, Phoebe formosana, and Machilus zuihoensis) and indigenous cinnamon (Cinnamomum osmophloeum). During autumn and winter, the bears gobble fat-loaded nuts such as Taiwan walnut (Juglans cathayensis) and acorns from tree Family Fagaceae. |
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| My Feeling: After I searched for the information about the Formosa Black Bear, I know more about this huge guy! When I searched their pictures. I found that although they look terrific, but sometimes they look cute! ^O^ So we have to protect them, or they will extinct. If they extinct, we could not see these cute guys!!! |