Favorite Images of Himalayan Brown Bears

A list of my favorite images of Himalayan brown bears.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himalayan_brown_bear

The Himalayan brown bear (Ursus arctos isabellinus), also known as the Himalayan red bear, isabelline bear or Dzu-Teh, is a subspecies of the brown bear and is known from northern Afghanistan, northern Pakistan, northern India, west China and Nepal.

It is the largest mammal in the region, males reaching up to 2.2 m (7 ft) long while females are a little smaller.

These bears are omnivorous and hibernate in a den during the winter.

Although present in a number of protected areas, they are becoming increasingly rare because of loss of suitable habitat and hunting by humans, and have become "critically endangered."

This bear (as the Dzu-Teh) is thought by some to be the source of the legend of the Yeti.

Himalayan brown bears are omnivores and will eat grasses, roots and other plants as well as insects and small mammals; they also like fruits and berries. They will also prey on large mammals, including sheep and goats. Adults will eat before sunrise and later during the afternoon.

The bears go into hibernation around October and emerge during April and May. Hibernation usually occurs in a den or cave made by the bear.

They are the largest animals in the Himalayas and are usually sandy or reddish-brown in colour. Males range from 1.5m up to 2.2m (5 ft - 7 ft 3in) long, while females are 1.37m to 1.83m (4 ft 6 in - 6 ft) long.

The Himalayan brown bear consists of a single clade that is the sister group to all other brown bears (and polar bears). The dating of the branching event, estimated at 658,000 years ago, corresponds to the period of a Middle Pleistocene episode of glaciation on the Tibetan plateau, suggesting that during this Nyanyaxungla glaciation the lineage that would give rise to the Himalayan brown bear became isolated in a distinct refuge, leading to its divergence.