The Syrian brown bear's fur is usually very light brown and straw-coloured.[4] The hair on the withers is longer, with a grey-brown base, and is often a different shade from the rest of the body, seen in some individuals as a dark stripe running across the back. The lighter colors usually appear at higher altitudes. Their legs are commonly darker than the rest of their body. It is the only known bear in the world to have white claws. It is a rather small bear. Adult males have skulls measuring approximately 30–40 cm (12–16 inches). The Syrian brown bear weighs up to 550 lb (250 kilograms), and measures from 101–140 cm (40–55 inches) from nose to tail.
Populations in the Caucasus were thought to belong to Ursus arctus syriacus, and to overlap parts of the Eurasian brown bear's range. Eurasian brown bears are larger in size with coats that are considerably darker, likely due to living in more frigid climates, as darker pigmentation helps to absorb heat from the sun.[citation needed] In the past, some naturalists proposed that Caucasian brown bears belonged to hybrid populations between Eurasian and Syrian brown bears; results of genetic studies show that all tested populations in the Caucasus are Eurasian brown bears.[2] It was thought that these mixed bears originated during the Holocene, when Syrian brown bears supposedly migrated northward and interbred with the larger northern brown bears. Today, that hypothesis is considered by experts to be unfounded. After breeding, the highly protective mother bear gives birth in a den; litter sizes range from one to three cubs.[5]
In Turkey, important habitats are Mediterranean belt forests, deciduous and conifer forests in the Black Sea region and northeastern Turkey, oak and pine forests in the hinterlands of the Black Sea, and dry forests in East Anatolia. In elevation, these habitats range from 500 to 2,700 m (1,600 to 8,900 ft).[11] In Iran, it is present in the Central Alborz Protected Area (south of the Caspian Sea), and in the Zagros Mountains.[5] In these regions, it prefers higher altitudes and northern aspects with access to water resources.[12]
ThreatsEdit
In Turkey, the bear is threatened by large-scale forest fragmentation, degradation of habitat, and persecution in areas where it damages beehives and livestock. Local people in the Black Sea region hunt bears illegally for bear fat, which is thought to have medicinal value. Occasionally, bears are killed during hunts for wild boar using dogs, and by poisoned baits and snares set illegally for red deer, roe deer, wolf or lynx.[11]
In 2018, a sleeping Syrian brown bear was killed by Iraqi forces at the Iraq-Syria border.[13]
In cultureEdit
This silver commemorative coin depicting the Trans-Caucasian grey bear has been issued by the Central Bank of Armenia, under the International Program "Wild World of Caucasus"
The Syrian brown bear is the bear mentioned in the Bible. The protectiveness of a mother bear towards her cubs is cited proverbially three times (2 Sam. 17:8; Prov. 17:12; Hos. 13:8) in the Hebrew Bible.[14] The Syrian brown bear is also mentioned in 2 Kings 2:23-25 mauling 42 young men who were threatening Elisha.[15]
Wojtek (1942–1963) was a Syrian brown bear. Purchased by Polish soldiers in Iran during World War II, Wojtek became the company mascot. Initially given the rank of private in order to justify his presence in the military camp, he was subsequently promoted to corporal[16] and assisted the soldiers in loading artillery. After the war, Wojtek retired to the Edinburgh Zoo where he became a popular and beloved attraction. His military service is memorialized in Scotland and Poland.
ReferencesEdit
^"IUCN Brown Bear subspecies status". Retrieved August 29, 2022.
^ abMurtskhvaladze, M.; Gavashelishvili, A.; Tarkhnishvili, D. (2010). "Geographic and genetic boundaries of brown bear (Ursus arctos) population in the Caucasus". Molecular Ecology. 19 (9): 1829–1841. doi:10.1111/j.1365-294X.2010.04610.x. PMID 20345670. S2CID 21347253.
^Masseti, M. (2009-12-28). Neubert, E.; Amr, Z.; Taiti, S.; Gümüs, B. (eds.). "Carnivores of Syria". ZooKeys. Aqaba, Jordan (31): 229–252. doi:10.3897/zookeys.31.170.
^ abNezami, B.; Farhadinia, M.S. (2011). (PDF). Ursus. 22 (2): 167–171. doi:10.2192/URSUS-D-10-00026.1. S2CID 83965830. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-08-08. Retrieved 2019-08-08.
^Calvignac, S.; Hughes, S.; Hänni, C. (2009). "Genetic diversity of endangered brown bear (Ursus arctos) populations at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa" (PDF). Diversity and Distributions. 15 (5): 1–9. doi:10.1111/j.1472-4642.2009.00586.x.
^Hatt, R. T. (1959). The mammals of Iraq(PDF). Ann Arbor: Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan.
^"Syrian Brown Bear". www.WorldLandTrust.org. Retrieved 29 August 2023. The Syrian Brown Bear is now extinct in Syria, Israel, Lebanon and the Sinai Peninsula, and survives today in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Turkmenistan. It lives in mountainous areas where it can be found foraging in forests, grasslands and meadows.
^McLellan, B.N.; Proctor, M.F.; Huber, D.; Michel, S. (2017). "Ursus arctos". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T41688A121229971. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T41688A121229971.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
^Garshelis, D.L.; Steinmetz, R.; Hajjar, I.; Tabbaa, D. (2015). "Brown bear(s) do exist in Syria: fuzzy photo generates much interest" (PDF). International Bear News. Vol. 24, no. 1. pp. 5−8.
^ abCan, Ö; Togan, İ. (2004). (PDF). Ursus. 15 (1): 48−53. doi:10.2192/1537-6176(2004)015<0048:SAMOBB>2.0.CO;2. S2CID 85945926. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-08-07. Retrieved 2019-08-07.
^Ataei, F; Karami, M.; Kaboli, M. (2012). "Summer Habitat Suitability Modeling of Brown Bear (Ursus arctos) Southern Alborz Protected Area". Iranian Journal of Natural Resources. 65 (2): 235−245.
^"Iraq forces kill endangered sleeping Syria brown bear". Middle East Monitor. November 9, 2018. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
^George Cansdale, "Bear", in Merrill C. Tenney (ed.), The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vol. 1 (Zondervan, 2010).
^American Bible Society. (1986). The Holy Bible : containing the Old and New Testaments; translated out of the original tongues and with the former translations diligently compared and revised. American Bible Society. pp. 2 Kings 2:23–25. OCLC 13621095.
^"Pomnik legendarnego niedźwiedzia Wojtka stanął w Krakowie [Statue of the legendary bear Wojtek unveiled in Krakow]". www.tvp.info (in Polish). Telewizja Polska. 19 May 2014. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
External linksEdit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ursus arctos syriacus.
Wikispecies has information related to Ursus arctos syriacus.
Syrian brown bear camera trap footage in the Caucasus Wildlife refuge, Armenia from World Land Trust
Syrian brown bear in Iraq
October 29, 2023
syrian, brown, bear, ursus, arctos, syriacus, ursus, arctos, arctos, relatively, small, endangered, subspecies, eurasian, brown, bear, native, middle, east, west, central, asia, particularly, around, caucasus, mountains, conservation, statusendangered, iucn, s. The Syrian brown bear Ursus arctos syriacus or Ursus arctos arctos 2 is a relatively small and endangered subspecies of Eurasian brown bear native to the Middle East and West Central Asia particularly around the Caucasus Mountains 3 Syrian brown bearConservation statusEndangered IUCN 3 1 1 Scientific classificationDomain EukaryotaKingdom AnimaliaPhylum ChordataClass MammaliaOrder CarnivoraFamily UrsidaeGenus UrsusSpecies U arctosSubspecies U a syriacusTrinomial nameUrsus arctos syriacusHemprich amp Ehrenberg 1828Historical DistributionSynonymscaucasicus Smirnov 1919dinniki Smirnov 1919lasistanicus Satunin 1913meridionalis Middendorff 1851persicus Lonnberg 1925schmitzi Matschie 1917smirnovi Lonnberg 1925 Contents 1 Characteristics 2 Distribution and habitat 3 Threats 4 In culture 5 References 6 External linksCharacteristics EditThe Syrian brown bear s fur is usually very light brown and straw coloured 4 The hair on the withers is longer with a grey brown base and is often a different shade from the rest of the body seen in some individuals as a dark stripe running across the back The lighter colors usually appear at higher altitudes Their legs are commonly darker than the rest of their body It is the only known bear in the world to have white claws It is a rather small bear Adult males have skulls measuring approximately 30 40 cm 12 16 inches The Syrian brown bear weighs up to 550 lb 250 kilograms and measures from 101 140 cm 40 55 inches from nose to tail Populations in the Caucasus were thought to belong to Ursus arctus syriacus and to overlap parts of the Eurasian brown bear s range Eurasian brown bears are larger in size with coats that are considerably darker likely due to living in more frigid climates as darker pigmentation helps to absorb heat from the sun citation needed In the past some naturalists proposed that Caucasian brown bears belonged to hybrid populations between Eurasian and Syrian brown bears results of genetic studies show that all tested populations in the Caucasus are Eurasian brown bears 2 It was thought that these mixed bears originated during the Holocene when Syrian brown bears supposedly migrated northward and interbred with the larger northern brown bears Today that hypothesis is considered by experts to be unfounded After breeding the highly protective mother bear gives birth in a den litter sizes range from one to three cubs 5 Distribution and habitat EditHistorically the brown bear occurred in the Middle East from Turkey to Turkmenistan 6 7 Today the brown bear is considered extremely rare possibly absent in its namesake Syria and has been extirpated from Israel Jordan Palestine and the Sinai Peninsula The bear survives only in Armenia Azerbaijan Georgia Iran Iraq Lebanon Turkey and Turkmenistan 8 9 In Syria brown bear tracks were recorded in the snow in the Anti Lebanon Mountains in 2004 for the first time in five decades In February 2011 bear tracks were again recorded in this area 10 nbsp A brown bear in Lar National Park northeast of Mount Damavand Iran In Turkey important habitats are Mediterranean belt forests deciduous and conifer forests in the Black Sea region and northeastern Turkey oak and pine forests in the hinterlands of the Black Sea and dry forests in East Anatolia In elevation these habitats range from 500 to 2 700 m 1 600 to 8 900 ft 11 In Iran it is present in the Central Alborz Protected Area south of the Caspian Sea and in the Zagros Mountains 5 In these regions it prefers higher altitudes and northern aspects with access to water resources 12 Threats EditIn Turkey the bear is threatened by large scale forest fragmentation degradation of habitat and persecution in areas where it damages beehives and livestock Local people in the Black Sea region hunt bears illegally for bear fat which is thought to have medicinal value Occasionally bears are killed during hunts for wild boar using dogs and by poisoned baits and snares set illegally for red deer roe deer wolf or lynx 11 In 2018 a sleeping Syrian brown bear was killed by Iraqi forces at the Iraq Syria border 13 In culture Edit nbsp This silver commemorative coin depicting the Trans Caucasian grey bear has been issued by the Central Bank of Armenia under the International Program Wild World of Caucasus The Syrian brown bear is the bear mentioned in the Bible The protectiveness of a mother bear towards her cubs is cited proverbially three times 2 Sam 17 8 Prov 17 12 Hos 13 8 in the Hebrew Bible 14 The Syrian brown bear is also mentioned in 2 Kings 2 23 25 mauling 42 young men who were threatening Elisha 15 Wojtek 1942 1963 was a Syrian brown bear Purchased by Polish soldiers in Iran during World War II Wojtek became the company mascot Initially given the rank of private in order to justify his presence in the military camp he was subsequently promoted to corporal 16 and assisted the soldiers in loading artillery After the war Wojtek retired to the Edinburgh Zoo where he became a popular and beloved attraction His military service is memorialized in Scotland and Poland References Edit IUCN Brown Bear subspecies status Retrieved August 29 2022 a b Murtskhvaladze M Gavashelishvili A Tarkhnishvili D 2010 Geographic and genetic boundaries of brown bear Ursus arctos population in the Caucasus Molecular Ecology 19 9 1829 1841 doi 10 1111 j 1365 294X 2010 04610 x PMID 20345670 S2CID 21347253 Masseti M 2009 12 28 Neubert E Amr Z Taiti S Gumus B eds Carnivores of Syria ZooKeys Aqaba Jordan 31 229 252 doi 10 3897 zookeys 31 170 The Syrian Brown Bear a b Nezami B Farhadinia M S 2011 Litter sizes of brown bears in the Central Alborz Protected Area Iran PDF Ursus 22 2 167 171 doi 10 2192 URSUS D 10 00026 1 S2CID 83965830 Archived from the original PDF on 2019 08 08 Retrieved 2019 08 08 Calvignac S Hughes S Hanni C 2009 Genetic diversity of endangered brown bear Ursus arctos populations at the crossroads of Europe Asia and Africa PDF Diversity and Distributions 15 5 1 9 doi 10 1111 j 1472 4642 2009 00586 x Hatt R T 1959 The mammals of Iraq PDF Ann Arbor Museum of Zoology University of Michigan Syrian Brown Bear www WorldLandTrust org Retrieved 29 August 2023 The Syrian Brown Bear is now extinct in Syria Israel Lebanon and the Sinai Peninsula and survives today in Armenia Azerbaijan Georgia Iraq Iran Turkey and Turkmenistan It lives in mountainous areas where it can be found foraging in forests grasslands and meadows McLellan B N Proctor M F Huber D Michel S 2017 Ursus arctos IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017 e T41688A121229971 doi 10 2305 IUCN UK 2017 3 RLTS T41688A121229971 en Retrieved 12 November 2021 Garshelis D L Steinmetz R Hajjar I Tabbaa D 2015 Brown bear s do exist in Syria fuzzy photo generates much interest PDF International Bear News Vol 24 no 1 pp 5 8 a b Can O Togan I 2004 Status and management of brown bears in Turkey PDF Ursus 15 1 48 53 doi 10 2192 1537 6176 2004 015 lt 0048 SAMOBB gt 2 0 CO 2 S2CID 85945926 Archived from the original PDF on 2019 08 07 Retrieved 2019 08 07 Ataei F Karami M Kaboli M 2012 Summer Habitat Suitability Modeling of Brown Bear Ursus arctos Southern Alborz Protected Area Iranian Journal of Natural Resources 65 2 235 245 Iraq forces kill endangered sleeping Syria brown bear Middle East Monitor November 9 2018 Retrieved March 9 2021 George Cansdale Bear in Merrill C Tenney ed The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible Vol 1 Zondervan 2010 American Bible Society 1986 The Holy Bible containing the Old and New Testaments translated out of the original tongues and with the former translations diligently compared and revised American Bible Society pp 2 Kings 2 23 25 OCLC 13621095 Pomnik legendarnego niedzwiedzia Wojtka stanal w Krakowie Statue of the legendary bear Wojtek unveiled in Krakow www tvp info in Polish Telewizja Polska 19 May 2014 Retrieved 7 February 2020 External links Edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ursus arctos syriacus nbsp Wikispecies has information related to Ursus arctos syriacus Syrian brown bear camera trap footage in the Caucasus Wildlife refuge Armenia from World Land Trust Syrian brown bear in Iraq Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Syrian brown bear amp oldid 1176678742, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
