MOON BEARS

MOON BEARS URSUS THIBETANUS  Moon bears have shaggy black fur with a distinctive yellow crescent across the chest and large elongated ears. Highly intelligent, they have a extensive vocabulary of sounds. 

They are excellent climbers, aided by their short strong claws, and swim very well. Although they usually walk on all fours, they will stand on their hind legs to reach food or fight. 

Moon bears are crepuscular – active at dawn and dusk. They often hibernate between November and March, and can migrate to higher altitudes in warmer months and descend to lowlands in colder months. 

Mating is usually in late summer and gestation around eight months. Females give birth in caves in spring, usually to twins, which are weaned by three and a half months but stay with their mother for two years. 

*International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world’s main authority on the conservation status of species https://www.bornfree.org.uk/animals/moon-bears