Atlas Bear

Facts about Atlas Bear, "Scientific name for Atlas Bear is Ursus arctos crowtheri". The Atlas Bear is a native bear of Africa, which belongs to the genus Ursus of the Ursidae family. The Atlas bear is both a widespread and extinct sub variety bear of the Brown Bear. The trinomial name of this bear is Ursus arctos crowtheri and it sometimes categorized as a chronospecies. The Atlas bear is also a subspecies of the Cantabrian brown bear that was probably introduced by the Romans to Africa, who imported the Iberian bears intended for spectacles. The Atlas Bear was the only native bear of Africa, which survived into current times. Once living in the Atlas Mountains and adjacent areas, ranging from Morocco to Libya, these bears are currently considered extinct. The Atlas bear was said to have been a terrible tree-climber.

Features of Atlas Bear

The Atlas Bear, when alive, had the capability of attaining a maximum body length of 9 feet (2.7 m), with the maximum body weight of 1,000 lbs (450 kg).

The Atlas Bear has a brownish black color body, and it had a white color mark on its muzzle. The hair on the underparts of this bear was reddish orange in color, with the length that ranges from 4 inches to 5 inches (100 mm to 130 mm). The claws and the muzzle of the Atlas bear are shorter than other bears, although the animal was thicker and stouter in the body construction.

Diet of Atlas Bear

The Atlas bear was mostly herbivorous, and it actually fed on acorns, roots, and nuts. However, at present, as nearly all bears are omnivores, the Atlas Bear is supposed to have been capable of eating meat, too.

Reproduction of Atlas Bear

The reproduction and breeding of the Atlas bear are similar to that of present day brown bears. Female bears will attain the sexual maturity after 5 to 7 years of birth. The mating season of the Atlas bears will commence from the initial part of May to the middle part of July. The female bears mate once in every two to four years. Due to the actuality that female bears mate quite a lot of times all through the season, the male bears will try to protect the female ones from other male bears for about one to three weeks subsequent to mating.

Although the mating season in Atlas bears is during the spring, the fetus does not start development until the female bear enters the winter dormancy. This is because of the process of late implantation. If the female bear does not have sufficient fat reserves during the winter, the embryo will not grow. Occasionally, the embryo can fasten to the uterine wall and grow for eight weeks, following which the young ones are born. While the female bear is still hibernating, the cubs are competent enough to suck on their mother as she is still sleeping. The milk of the mother bear is incredibly rich in fat, and by the spring season, the cubs will gain sufficient body weight to depart the den with their mother bear. The cubs stay with their mother for two to four years of their birth, during which they will be trained in the skills, like protecting and hunting.

The average lifespan of the Atlas Bear was said to be more than 30 years.