Where do Asian black bears live in Russia?
You probably know that brown bears and polar bears live in Russia. And, in the Far East, there is another species of these animals, the Ussuri white-breasted bear, a subspecies of the Asian black bear.
This bear prefers the warm Asian climate, but, in Russia, it can also be found in the Khabarovsk Territory, Primorsky Territory and in the south of Yakutia. It is registered in the ‘Bikin’ national park, the ‘Sikhote-Alin’ and ‘Khankaisky’ reserves and others.
And it is even depicted on the coat of arms of Khabarovsk! In total, there are about 6,500 Ussuri bears in Russia.
Unlike other bears, the Ussuri bear prefers to live in trees rather than in a den, even in winter. As a rule, the bear's hollow is located five meters above the ground and higher.
It;s easy recognizable thanks to its white stripe on its chest and its relatively small size, up to 1.5 in length (or height, if it stands on its hind legs). Ussuri bears feed on plants, berries and nuts, but will also eat small animals, such as frogs.
Young bears are not afraid of people and they can often be seen on the road. However, it is best not to come into contact with them and under no circumstances feed them!
