Louisiana black bear

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Louisiana black bear

Imperiled  (NatureServe)[1]

Delisted (
ESA)[2][3][4]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Ursidae
Genus: Ursus
Species:
U. americanus
Subspecies:
U. a. luteolus
Trinomial name
Ursus americanus luteolus
Griffith, 1821

The Louisiana black bear (Ursus americanus luteolus), one of 16

Mississippi River Valley and the Atchafalaya River Basin. It was classified as 'threatened' under the U.S. Endangered Species Act from 1992–2016. The validity of this subspecies has been repeatedly debated.[5]

Description

The subspecies does not have a substantially different appearance than the nominate U. americanus americanus, but the skull is relatively long, narrow and flat and the molars are proportionately large.[6] The fur color is usually black, but a cinnamon phase is known to exist.[7]

Distribution and habitat

The Louisiana black bear historically occurred in Louisiana, Mississippi, East Texas and Arkansas.[5]

Four areas are currently known to have populations of the black bear:[8]

  • Iberia Parish
    in south Louisiana,
  • Pointe Coupee Parish
    in central Louisiana,
  • the
    Avoyelles
    Parishes, in east-central Louisiana
  • West Carroll Parishes
    in northeast Louisiana.

The Louisiana black bear can travel for long distances and has been sighted in many areas of Louisiana not normally considered bear habitat.

East Baton Rouge,[11] and Bossier City
.

Conservation

While the

Least Concern, the Louisiana black bear as a subspecies was listed as 'threatened' under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in 1992.[3] Under this ruling, all bears within the historic range of the Louisiana black bear, from eastern Texas to southern Mississippi, have been protected.[3] On April 11, 2016, this protection of the Louisiana black bear was eliminated as were the related Similarity-of-Appearance Protections for the American black bear.[4]

Loss of habitat was the primary reason the bear was placed on the federal endangered species list. Programs and initiatives have resulted in the conservation and restoration of over 600,000 acres (240,000 ha) of forestland in the Mississippi River floodplain of Louisiana. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have acquired land for

Nature Conservancy and Ducks Unlimited
.

References

  1. ^ "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  2. ^ "Louisiana black bear (Ursus americanus luteolus)". Environmental Conservation Online System. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  3. ^ a b c 57 FR 588
  4. ^ a b USFWS (11 March 2016). "Removal of the Louisiana Black Bear From the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Removal of Similarity-of-Appearance Protections for the American Black Bear". Federal Register. 81 (48): 13124–13171. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  5. ^
    doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T41687A45034604.en
    . Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  6. ^ Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Louisiana Black Bear (PDF) (Report).
  7. ^ Mammals of America. Harold Elmer Anthony University Society, Incorporated. 1917. pp. 98–. Retrieved 2017-03-07.
  8. ^ a b "Louisiana Black Bear habitat". United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Retrieved 2017-03-06.
  9. ^ "Mississippi man sentenced in Louisiana black bear killing". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved 2017-03-07.
  10. ^ "Kisatchie Wildlife, Black Bear sightings". USDA. Retrieved 2017-03-06.
  11. ^ "Black bear spotted in Central neighborhood captured by Wildlife and Fisheries officials". The Advocate. Retrieved 2019-02-12.
  12. ^ "Forestry assistance programs". Thought.co. Retrieved 2017-03-07.[permanent dead link]
  13. ^ "Black Bear Conservation Coalition". Black Bear Conservation Coalition. Retrieved 2017-03-07.
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