Gubach bear - description, habitat, lifestyle

In the mid-20th century, one of the first narrative stories appeared, including the gubach. This bear already made a splash. No one could believe that the gubach is considered a relative of the club-footed beast. And this is not surprising, since according to its external data, the representative of the family is more similar to an anteater or sloth. He does not intimidate, but on the contrary, causes emotion. Due to its habits, the family member under discussion is considered the most peaceful, but this is not so. In today's article, we will consider all aspects related to it.

Description

1. By gubach means a unique shaggy beast that is not like other bears. Due to the peculiarities and habits of these individuals, they were assigned to a separate group, since they are not at all similar to the rest of the bearish representatives. Snout elongated, mobile, attracting attention. There is no fur on the lips, so individuals cause even greater emotion. Lips resemble a trunk or a pipe. Therefore, individuals of the presented category got their name.
2. If we compare the discussed variety of bears, we can not say that these individuals are large. Among the self-similar, they are averaged, can grow up to a maximum of 1.7 m in the hull. About 10 cm are allotted to the tail in addition to the body. When a bear stands on four legs, its height at the withers is 90 cm. For a person, these dimensions may seem huge, but for such animals they are insignificant. Weight category - 130 kg. average. Females are 30% less in mass.
3. In all other senses, the gubach is like a bear. The physique is tight and strong, the body is stately and sloping, the limbs are elongated, the head has a rounded format. The frontal part is flat, the muzzle is long and heavy. The fur is not outstanding, as if not combed and untidy. By pigmentation, these individuals are reddish, dark gray, brown-brown. However, black gloss is considered a classic. The muzzle turns gray, as does the nose. In the chest area there is a light interspersed, like a tick.
4. Distribution features include the fact that the animals under discussion often settle in the tropics or subtropical climatic zones. These include Bhutan, India, Sri Lanka, the Himalayas, Bangladesh, Nepal, etc. Otherwise, the representatives of the bear family are called the Himalayan gubaks. Regardless of what an individual chooses to live, it will definitely settle in the mountains. Bears prefer to hide, so they are almost impossible to find. However, animals do not climb to the very top.

Habitat and features

1. Considering the features of these animals, one cannot help but mention where they prefer to live, and what kind of lifestyle they are characterized by. It is also worth mentioning that this species of animals has exclusively developed sense of smell, all other sensitive organs practically do not work.
2. Individuals disgustingly see and also hear poorly. They cannot even understand when someone is approaching, and they do not always see a person nearby. But the fact that the bear does not hear does not mean at all that he does not smell the smell of an outsider. Because of this, the anxiety of the Gubernians rises, they attack people more often than other bears.
3. If, nevertheless, it is “lucky” to meet this bear, this event will most likely happen in South Asia. It is there that the places are considered the birthplace of representatives of the family under discussion. Also found in India. They choose the Himalayan mountains for their habitat, like to live in places hidden from outsiders. Therefore, they are called Himalayan bears.
4. When an animal enters the mountains, it immediately searches for cultivated land. Individuals destroy crops, partly because of this, farmers have a negative attitude towards them and clutch at their guns. Bears are shot. However, in recent years this has been prohibited, since bears have been reckoned with the Red Book. There are no more than 20,000 individuals.
5. You won’t see bears in the daytime, but at night they prefer to stay awake for a long time. Then in the morning they return to a secluded place and sleep off until the next dark. As a rule, a large part of the population is located in subtropical and tropical climatic zones. There are exceptions when a bear with newly born offspring decides to stay awake not at night, but in the daytime.
6. In part, this decision is determined by the desire to protect the cubs, there are many predators at night, and in the light of time it is more convenient to get food. When the offspring reaches a certain age, the whole family again returns to its former rhythm. This variety can be found at an altitude of 2.5-3 km. from sea level. It is comfortable for them to dwell at that height.

Food

1. These bears are famous for their unpretentiousness in terms of food, they absorb everything and are not very picky. With great desire, individuals feast on insects and their larvae, also consume plants, bird eggs, snails, carrion. It’s not a mistake to suppose that these bears love honey. The beekeeping product is a real treat for them. Partly because of this, bears are called honey.
2. In summer, they lean on fruit fruits, and also consume berries. However, due to the availability of insects, animals feed on them. Farmers do not like gubachs, because they destroy sugarcane and corn fields. Bears do not fear people at all, controlling on their possessions. Animals perfectly climb trees, destroy bird's nests.
3. A characteristic feature of such bears is an unusually elongated face and the ability to fold their lips into a tube. Thanks to this, the animal can get its own food in the form of colonial insects without problems. In such an individual, the nostrils randomly close so that biting insects do not harm the mucosa.
4. The bear has very small teeth. Moreover, a characteristic feature of this individual is that two central incisors are absent from above. Due to this, the passage from the elongated lips continues with a tube.
5. The animal has a very long tongue and a hollow palate. This form was formed during the evolution of the individual. Due to its unusual features, the bear is able to get food in the most inaccessible places.
6. When an animal tries to get to prey, it initially with force begins to blow out all the dust and dirt from the nest. After that, the bear easily gets to insects that hide in the narrowest cracks. Due to his “tube”, he sucks in prey with force.
7. If you manage to observe this, you will see that the whole process is accompanied by a fairly loud noise. In some cases, sounds can be heard at a distance of up to 150 m. Therefore, you will have no doubt that somewhere in the vicinity a bear is eating. In the same way, hunters find an animal.

Breeding

1. As for life expectancy, in the wild, individuals can live up to 40 years. In captivity, such animals live 10 years longer. However, with reproduction, things are much worse. In the wild, such problems are not observed. Bears reproduce young 1 time in 3 years.
2. The mating season often falls in mid-spring. As soon as the time for childbirth comes, the she-bears try to find a secluded place and retire. Often these can be lairs and caves, which are covered with stones. Most often, 2 babies can be born in a female, less often 3.
3. It is worth noting that offspring are born completely deaf and blind.The first couple of months the cubs are in the den under the care of their mother. After this, the female gradually begins to carry them out into the air on her back. At such a moment, the cubs gradually hear, and the eyes cut out.
4. Young animals remain with their mother until they reach puberty. Often this occurs at 3 years of age. After this, the female begins to prepare for the next mating season and childbirth, respectively. If conditions allow, a new offspring will soon appear.
5. In some cases, the females skip 1 year to fully recover and gain the lost mass. It is interesting that babies are born weighing only 0.4 kg. At first they are very vulnerable. Bear cubs feed on milk for up to 2 years. However, on the other hand, the diet becomes diverse from 4 months of age.
6. Just at that age, kids develop a playful mood. In addition, during the games, the bears do not think about the surrounding danger. They simply do not follow this. All responsibility rests with the dipper. Mother monitors potential danger and approaching predators. The natural enemies are big cats.

Behavior

1. Represented individuals prefer to lead a nocturnal lifestyle. In the daytime, they are sprinkled in dense shrubs or caves. The exception is females with offspring.
2. Only they temporarily switch to a daily lifestyle. This allows you not to encounter night predators. The bears in question are active throughout the year, they do not hibernate.

Gubachi bears are quite interesting individuals from all relatives. They do not hibernate, lead a nocturnal lifestyle and become inactive during the rainy season. In addition, such animals in most cases prefer to eat insects. Offspring live with their mother until puberty.

Video: Gubach Bear (Melursus ursinus)