Cantabrian brown bear
Cantabrian brown bear | |
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Female bear with cub at Muniellos Nature Reserve, Asturias, Spain | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Carnivora |
Family: | Ursidae |
Genus: | Ursus |
Species: | U. arctos |
Subspecies: | U. a. arctos
|
Population: | Cantabrian brown bear |
Synonyms | |
Ursus arctos pyrenaicus |
The Cantabrian brown bear, Iberian brown bear, or Iberian bear (formerly Ursus arctos pyrenaicus) is a population of Eurasian brown bears (Ursus arctos arctos) living in the Cantabrian Mountains of Spain.
In Spain, it is known as the Oso pardo cantábrico and, more locally, in Asturias as Osu. It is timid and will avoid human contact whenever possible. The Cantabrian brown bear can live for around 25–30 years in the wild.
The bear measures between 1.6 and 2 m (5.2 and 6.6 ft) in length, and between 0.90 and 1 m (3.0 and 3.3 ft) at shoulder height. On average, females weigh 85 kg (187 lb), but can reach a weight of 150 kg (330 lb). Males average 115 kg (254 lb), though they can weigh as much as 200 kg (440 lb).
Evolution
Believed to have originated in Asia, the brown bear (
Experts on
Since then, however, phylogenetic and mitochondrial DNA research has led to the general scientific consensus that the European brown bear is not a separate subspecies. These recent studies have also found that the European populations fall into two major genetic lineages; an eastern type and a western type.[5]
The Cantabrian brown bear forms a part of the western type, the effective barriers of the
Geographic distribution
Having once roamed most of the
In 2005 the presence of brown bears was reported near the Portuguese border (less than 20 km (12 mi)) on the Trevinca range, based on footprints left on a big mud pad. In 2019, one brown bear was confirmed by the Portuguese authorities to have roamed across the border, and evidence suggests this was not an isolated event, as footprints from the early months of the year and local sightings confirm.[8] Bears had not been seen in Portugal for over a hundred years and were believed extinct.[citation needed]
Protection status
The Cantabrian brown bear is catalogued on the Spanish Red List of
Threats
In the smaller eastern population, endogamy has led to genetic complications including the higher probability of birth defects and a higher ratio of male to female births (more males than females). Added to this is the extreme philopatry usually exhibited by female brown bears which leads to a very slow dispersal rate of reproductive females. Another present threat comes in the form of the EU's bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) laws which are enforcing the removal of carcasses from the countryside.[9] Though only a small part of the Cantabrian brown bear's mainly vegetarian diet, carrion is very important for the building of fat reserves ready for the winter and, in spring, is a vital source of sustenance following the rigours of the winter. It is hoped that these disease containment measures will be revised following a meeting of concerned Spanish environmentalists with the European Commission in October 2007. There has been concern that recent mild winters, possibly due to climate change, have not been severe enough to necessitate hibernation. However, the bears are sometimes active during cold winter weather for reasons which are not entirely clear.[10]
Man-made infrastructures such as roads and railways inhibit the population growth of the Cantabrian brown bear. The most recent human threat is a proposal to build a ski/winter leisure resort in the San Glorio pass, a site in the eastern region of the bears' habitat. Despite the fact that Spain's ministry of the environment, in its Catálogo Nacional de Especies Amenazadas,[11] lists the brown bear as in danger of extinction in Spain, and the existence of heavy fines aimed at protecting the few remaining bears, hardly a year passes without yet another bear having been killed by human intervention. According to an article published December 2007 in the Spanish national daily El País,[12] eight brown bears had been killed, either by poisoned bait or illegal hunting, in the Cantabrian Mountains since the year 2000.
Conservation
An "Action Plan for the Conservation of the Brown Bear (Ursus arctos) in Europe", published in 2000, made specific recommendations for the management of bears in Spain.[13]
The Spanish Ministry of the Environment had previously drawn up a "Plan para la Recuperación del Oso Pardo" (Plan for the Recovery of the Brown Bear) with the intention of saving the species from extinction by coordinating conservation efforts across the
Bear
See also
- List of mammals of Cantabria
- Marsican brown bear
- Bear conservation
- International Bear Association
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Threatened species
References
- ^ "IUCN Brown Bear subspecies status". Retrieved August 29, 2022.
- JSTOR 3872687. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2022-10-09. Retrieved 2019-11-18.
- ^ Pérez-Hidalgo, T. (1992). "The European descendants of Ursus etruscus C. Cuvier (Mammalia, Carnivora, Ursidae)" (PDF). Boletín del Instituto Geológico y Minero de España. 103 (4): 632–642.
- ^ Kurten, Bjorn (1976). The Cave Bear Story. New York: Columbia University Press.
- ISSN 0962-8452.
- ^ Linnell, John D. C.; Steuer, Daniel; Odden, John; Kaczensky, Petra; Swenson, Jon E. (2002). European Brown Bear Compendium (PDF). Wildlife Conservation Issues–Technical Series (Report).
- ^ "El oso cantábrico salta la autovía para reproducirse". El Mundo (in Spanish). 2009-09-06.
- ^ "First brown bear sighting in Portugal in over a century". France 24. 2019-05-09.
- ^ Problem of necrophagous birds in Spain because of shortage of natural food: a serious threat to biodiversity (PDF), Council of the European Union, 24 October 2007
- ^ Fotheringham, Alasdair (2013-03-12). "Postcard from... Cantabria". The Independent. London. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
- ^ Ministerio de Medio Ambiente:Biodiversity:Conservation of Endangered Species:National Catalogue of Endangered Species
- ^ Denuncian la muerte de un segundo oso en Palencia en cuatro meses · ELPAÍS.com
- ^ Swenson, J. E.; Gerstl, N.; Dahle, B.; Zedrosser, A. (2000). Action Plan for Conservation of the Brown Bear in Europe (Ursus arctos) (Report). Council of Europe Publishing.
- ^ Bernhard Rübe (director), Bernd Strobel (editor) (2014). Spaniens wilder Norden. Im Reich der Bären und Wölfe (in German). Archived from the original on 2016-05-22.
- ^ "LIFE+ Project Brown Bear Corridors". Fundación Oso Pardo. Archived from the original on 2011-07-26.
- ^ "UNESCO Unveils 25 New Biosphere Reserves". ens-newswire.com. 2006-10-30. Archived from the original on 2006-11-11.
External links
- Fauna Europaea (European Biodiversity Taxonomic Authority)
- Fundación Oso de Asturias (in Spanish)
- Fundación Oso Pardo (Website of NGO) (in Spanish)
- International Association for Bear Research and Management- IUCN Bear Specialist Group (English)
- ESTUDIO GENÉTICO DEL OSO PARDO CANTÁBRICO EN ASTURIAS JOSE LUIS GARCIA GARITAGOITIA, ISABEL REY FRAILE, IGNACIO DOADRIO VILLAREJO. December 2003, Genetic Study of the Cantabrian brown bear, 60 pages, FAPAS (Fondo para la Protección de los Animales Salvajes) (Spanish)
- Safari Club International Foundation Wildlife Conservation Issues - Technical Series (2002)European Brown Bear Compendium 131 pages, Swedish web site (English) - pdf
- Abstract of Mitochondrial DNA Polymorphism, Phylogeography, and Conservation Genetics of the Brown Bear Ursus arctos in Europe, by Pierre Taberlet, Jean Bouvet, The Royal Society Proceedings: Biological Sciences, Vol. 255, No. 1344 (Mar. 22, 1994), pp. 195–200
- Iberianature web site (English)
- Seguimiento Fotográfico Oso Pardo (FAPAS)-2002 video 20min, FAPAS (Fondo para la Protección de los Animales Salvajes) (Spanish)