Asian black bear
Amazing fact
Asian black bears use their sense of smell to find insects underground.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
Asian black bears use their sense of smell to find insects underground.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Asian black bear
- Scientific name
- Ursus thibetanus
- Japanese name
- ツキノワグマ
- Group
- Land mammals
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Carnivora
- Family
- Ursidae
- Genus
- Ursus
This page introduces the Asian black bear species; the bears of Honshu and Shikoku belong to the subspecies called the Japanese black bear.
It is a bear found widely across Asia; in Japan it lives in the forests of Honshu and Shikoku.
Most have a white, crescent-moon-shaped mark on the chest, which is where the Japanese name comes from.
It eats a lot in autumn to store fat, then hibernates. During hibernation its body temperature drops just a little, and females give birth to cubs during this time.
How the Asian black bear lives
They become more active at night in autumn. When food is scarce, they may strip bark from trees to eat. They sleep in tree hollows or caves during the day.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity WebBasic data
- Size
- Head and body length: 1.2–1.8 m
- Weight
- males 110–150 kg, females 65–90 kg
- Diet
- Fruit, tree buds, small vertebrates, invertebrates, insects, and carrion
- Range
- Honshu and Shikoku, Japan
Where the Asian black bear has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- ツキノワグマ
- 简体中文
- 亚洲黑熊
- 繁體中文
- 亞洲黑熊
- 한국어
- 아시아흑곰
- Español
- Oso tibetano
- Français
- Ours noir d'Asie
- Deutsch
- Kragenbär
- Português (Brasil)
- Urso-negro-asiático
- Italiano
- Orso dal collare
- हिन्दी
- एशियाई काला भालू
- العربية
- دب أسود آسيوي
- Bahasa Indonesia
- Beruang-hitam asia
- Tiếng Việt
- Gấu ngựa
- Русский
- Белогрудый медведь
- Türkçe
- Asya Kara Ayısı
- ไทย
- หมีควาย
- বাংলা
- এশীয় কালো ভাল্লুক
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 上野動物園 — ツキノワグマ（ニホンツキノワグマ）Checked: 2026-11-03
- University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web — Ursus thibetanusChecked: 2026-11-03
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeWhen you meet the Asian black bear, look for this
- Look for the sharply curved claws.
Animals do different things from day to day, so you may not always see this.
上野動物園EXHIBIT INFORMATION
Places that keep or show the Asian black bear
Zoos, aquariums and other places whose official websites say they keep or show this animal.
Displays can change with the animals’ health and the seasons. Check each facility’s official website before you go.
RELATIVES
Others in Ursidae
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