How many of you know where do bears live? Not many for sure! Here are the useful facts about the bears habitat and its worldwide distribution. Bears inhabit all throughout the range of Southern Hemisphere, with an exception of spectacled bear which lives in the South America.
The atlas bear is a subspecies that is endemic to Africa and was known to reside in Morocco, Libya, and North Africa; however, these bears became extinct around 1870s. The rest of the species are found in Europe, Asia, and North America.
Of all the bear species, the brown bear is the most common and is found in Western Europe, western North America, and Asia. The American black bear is the inhabitant of North America while polar bears are limited to Arctic and Polar Regions. Apart from polar bears, all species are forest-dwelling animals with brown bears in particular.
Where Do Bears Live
Where Do Brown Bears Live?
There are no more than 200,000 brown bears remaining in the wild worldwide. The largest concentration of these bears is found in Russia with the population of 182,990; in United States 32,500; and in Canada 21,750.
More than 95% of the brown bear’s population living in United States is found in Alaska. They are being introduced in some other lower 48 states such as Great Plains and Rockies. According to some people, brown bears once inhabited all along the Atlas, Morocco, Atlas Mountains, and Mexico but are believed to have disappeared by now.
The largest specimen was shot in 1960 in Mexico. The largest population of Carpathian brown bear of Romania is found in Europe with 4,500 to 5,000 species but is diminishing with an alarming rate due to excessive hunting.
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There are around 2,500 Carpathian brown bears living all throughout the Northern Europe. A handful number of these species are also found in Serbia, Albania, Slovenia, Croatia, Bulgaria, and Macedonia.
They were once native to Asia, Europe, and Africa, but have become disappeared in most of its range in Asia. The population living in Alaska is also facing a drastic decline such as those inhabiting in Alberta, Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, Wyoming, and Northwest Territories. Not more than 750 bears are found in Montana, while in Idaho there are 30 to 40 individuals.
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The northcentral Washington is a home to 5 to 10 bear species. Brown bears are known to occupy a wide range of Middle East, with some living in the Japanese Island of Hokkaido, while others are found in North Korea, Pakistan, India, Western China, and Afghanistan.
On the positive side, the population of brown bears is on the rise in Arctic regions. The region is no longer dominated by the polar bears thereby allowing brown bears to extend its habitat range.
Read More: Grizzly–Polar Bear Hybrid
Brown bears typically prefer to browse in semi-open regions which are abundant in vegetation. The grizzly and North American brown bears fancy their living in open landscapes such as coastal estuaries, islands, and tundra. They build their habitats in mountainous woodlands in Europe.
Brown bears primarily reside in the alpine meadows across Central Asia due to the fact that human disturbance is minimal in this part of the world. Bears inhabiting in Siberia, seem to live in denser pine forests.
Read More: Are Polar Bears Endangered?
Brown bears living in Europe are dispersed as;
- Spain (20 to 25 bears)
- Leon, Cantabria, Asturias, Galacia (Leon, Cantabria, Asturias, Galacia)
- Sweden, Finland, and Romania (4,000 to 5,000)
- Bulgaria (900 to 1,200)
- Slovakia (600 to 800)
- Greece (200)
- Slovenia (500 to 700)
Where Do Asian Black Bears Live
Black bears are predominantly found in misxed forests, deciduous forests, thornbrush forests, and deserts. They are not found at altitudes of more than 12,000 ft (3,700 m).
Black bears typically reside around 11,480 feet (3,500 metres) and will descend in winter to a height of 4,920 feet (1,500 meters) and they come to a sea level in Japan. According to a fossil’s record, black bears once occupied all throughout France and Germany but are now limited to the Asian continent.
These bears inhabit along the southeastern Iran, Pakistan, Myanmar, foothills of India, and Afghanistan. They are not found in Malaysia and east-central China. Some of these species also exist in Russian Far East, North Korea, Japanese islands such as Shikoku, Hainan, and Japan.
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China
The Asian black bears inhabit across northeastern China in the conifer forests of temperate and cold regions. In China, there are two recognized black bear species; U. thibetannus thibetanus and U. thibetanus mupinensis. There are around 100 Asian black bears living in the province of Liaoning.
Where Do American Black Bears Live
(Where Do Bears Live)
The American black bears inhabit all throughout the range of North American forested regions. Currently, they are classified as largely restricted to sparsely settled and forested regions.
American black bears are the inhabitants of native Canadian range, with some species found in the farmlands of Manitoba, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. There are around 396,000 to 476,000 species in seven Canadian provinces according to the survey of 1990. They are primarily found in the Rocky mountain region, northern Midwest, west coast, and Alaska.
Where Do Polar Bears Live
(Where Do Bears Live)
The polar bears inhabit all throughout the range of Arctic and Polar Regions that can be as far south as Newfoundland Island. Human’s absence in these cooler regions allows the largest carnivore to retain its original habitat.
They are known to reside in the north of 88o in the James Bay in Canada. Polar bears are also found in the Sea of Okhotsk and Kuril Islands. According to a rough estimate, there are 20,000 to 25,000 polar bears remaining worldwide.
Read More: Do Polar Bears Live in Antarctica?
Of all subspecies, thirteen North American species inhabit across Beaufort Sea south to Hudson Bay, western Greenland, Barents Sea, Chukchi Sea, and Baffin Sea. Polar bears occupy five nations including Norway, Canada, Denmark, United States, and Russia.
They are also regarded as the marine mammals since they spend most of their time at sea. They build their habitats on sea ice.
