Where do Asian black bears live in Russia?

Legion Media
You probably know that brown bears and polar bears live in Russia. And, in the Far East, there is another species of these animals, the Ussuri white-breasted bear, a subspecies of the Asian black bear.

This bear prefers the warm Asian climate, but, in Russia, it can also be found in the Khabarovsk Territory, Primorsky Territory and in the south of Yakutia. It is registered in the ‘Bikin’ national park, the ‘Sikhote-Alin’ and ‘Khankaisky’ reserves and others.

And it is even depicted on the coat of arms of Khabarovsk! In total, there are about 6,500 Ussuri bears in Russia.

Unlike other bears, the Ussuri bear prefers to live in trees rather than in a den, even in winter. As a rule, the bear's hollow is located five meters above the ground and higher.

It;s easy recognizable thanks to its white stripe on its chest and its relatively small size, up to 1.5 in length (or height, if it stands on its hind legs). Ussuri bears feed on plants, berries and nuts, but will also eat small animals, such as frogs.

Young bears are not afraid of people and they can often be seen on the road. However, it is best not to come into contact with them and under no circumstances feed them!

Dear readers,

Our website and social media accounts are under threat of being restricted or banned, due to the current circumstances. So, to keep up with our latest content, simply do the following:

  • Subscribe to our Telegram channel
  • Subscribe to our weekly email newsletter
  • Enable push notifications for our website
  • Install a VPN service on your computer and/or phone to have access to our website, even if it is blocked in your country

If using any of Russia Beyond's content, partly or in full, always provide an active hyperlink to the original material.

Read more

This website uses cookies. Click here to find out more.

Accept cookies