Ursinae
Encyclopedia
Ursinae is a subfamily of Ursidae (bears) named by Swainson (1835) though probably named before Hunt 1998. It was assigned to Ursidae by Bjork (1970), Hunt (1998) and Jin et al. (2007).
The genera Melursus and Helarctos are sometimes also included in Ursus. The Asiatic black bear and the polar bear used to be placed in their own genera, Selenarctos and Thalarctos which are now placed at subgenus
rank.
A number of hybrids have been bred between American black, brown, and polar bears (see Ursid hybrid
s).
Classification
- Ursidae (family)
- Ursinae (subfamily)
- Ailuropodini (tribe)
- AiluropodaAiluropodaAiluropoda is the only genus in the ursid subfamily Ailuropodinae. It contains one living and four fossil species of giant panda....
(Giant Panda)- Ailuropoda baconi
- Ailuropoda fovealis
- Ailuropoda melanoleuca
- Ailuropoda microtaAiluropoda microtaAiluropoda microta, rarely called the Dwarf Panda, Dwarf Giant Panda, or Pygmy Giant Panda, is the earliest known ancestor of the Giant Panda. It measured 1 m in length; the modern Giant Panda grows to a size in excess of 1.5 m . Wear patterns on its teeth suggest it lived on a diet of...
- Ailuropoda wulingshanensis
- Melursus (genus)
- Melursus ursinus (Sloth Bear)
- Melursus ursinus inornatus (Sri Lankan Sloth Bear)
- Melursus ursinus ursinus (Indian Sloth Bear)
- Helarctos (genus)
- Helarctos malayanus (Sun Bear)
- Helarctos malayanus euryspilus (Borneo Sun Bear)
- Helarctos malayanus (Sun Bear)
- Ailuropoda
- Ursini (tribe)
- UrsusUrsus (genus)Ursus is a genus in the family Ursidae that includes the widely distributed brown bears, the polar bear, and black bears. The name is derived from the Latin ursus, meaning bear.-Species and subspecies of Ursus:...
(genus)- Ursus abstrusus† (Primitive Black Bear)
- Ursus americanus (American Black Bear)
- Ursus americanus cinnamomum (Cinnamon Bear)
- Ursus americanus floridanus (Florida Black Bear)
- Ursus americanus luteolus (Louisiana Black Bear)
- Ursus americanus kermodeiKermode bearThe Kermode bear , also known as a "spirit bear" , is a subspecies of the American Black Bear living in the central and north coast of British Columbia, Canada. It is noted for about 1/10 of their population having white or cream-coloured coats...
(Kermode Bear)
- Ursus arctos (Brown Bear)
- Ursus arctos syriacusSyrian Brown BearThe Syrian brown bear is a relatively small subspecies of brown bear native to Eurasia.- Distribution :Within the former Soviet Union, it occurs in Transcaucasia, Talysh, Northern Armenia, Abkhazia, Karabakh and Kopet Dag. Outside the ex-USSR, it occurs in Iran, Iraq and Turkey...
(Syrian Brown Bear) - Ursus arctos horribilis (Grizzly Bear)
- Ursus arctos middendorffi (Kodiak Bear)
- Ursus arctos isabellinus (Himalayan Brown Bear or Himalayan Red Bear)
- Ursus arctos piscator†? (Bergman's Bear)
- Ursus arctos pruinosus (Himalayan Blue Bear)
- Ursus arctos gobiensisGobi BearThe Gobi bear is a subspecies of the brown bear, Ursus arctos, found in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia. At present they are listed as "very rare" in the Mongolian Red Book, and may represent a threatened subspecies, as the small population of Gobi bears makes them vulnerable to outside threats...
(Gobi bear) - Ursus arctos crowtheri† (Atlas Bear)
- Ursus arctos syriacus
- Ursus inopinatus†
- Ursus maritimus (Polar Bear)
- Ursus minimusUrsus minimusUrsus minimus is an extinct species of bear, endemic to Europe during the Pliocene, living from ~5.3—1.8 Mya, existing for approximately ....
† - Ursus spelaeus† (Cave Bear)
- Ursus thibetanus (Asiatic Black Bear)
- Ursus thibetanus formosanus (Formosan Black Bear)
- Ursus thibetanus gedrosianus
- Ursus thibetanus japonica
- Ursus thibetanus laniger
- Ursus thibetanus mupinensis
- Ursus thibetanus thibetanus
- Ursus thibetanus ussuricu
- Ursus etruscusUrsus etruscusUrsus etruscus is an extinct species of mammal of the family Ursidae , endemic to Europe, Asia and North Africa during the Pliocene through Pleistocene, living from ~5.3 Mya—11,000 years ago, existing for approximately ....
† (Etruscan Bear) - Ursus Vetularctos inopinatusMacFarlane's BearMacFarlane's bear is a proposed extinct species of bear that was found in Canada's Northwest Territories. In 1864, Inuit hunters shot and killed an enormous yellow-furred bear and gave the skin and skull to naturalist Robert MacFarlane . MacFarlane shipped the skin and skull to the Smithsonian...
(MacFarlane's Bear)
- Ursus
- UrsaviniUrsaviniUrsavini is an extinct tribe of mammals of the family Ursidae endemic to North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia during Miocene through Pliocene, living from ~23—2.5 Ma, existing for approximately ....
† (tribe)- AgriotheriumAgriotheriumAgriotherium is an extinct genus of Ursidae of the Miocene through Pleistocene epochs, endemic to North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia living from ~13.6–2.5 Ma, existing for approximately .-Taxonomy:...
†- Agriotherium inexpetans†
- Agriotherium schneideri†
- Agriotherium sivalensis† (type species)
- IndarctosIndarctosIndarctos is a genus of mammals of the family Ursidae endemic to North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia during the Miocene, living from ~11.1—5.3 Ma, existing for approximately ....
† (genus)- Indarctos anthracitis†
- Indarctos arctoides†
- Indarctos atticus†
- Indarctos nevadensis†
- Indarctos oregonensis†
- Indarctos salmontanus†
- Indarctos vireti†
- Indarctos zdanskyi†
- UrsavusUrsavusUrsavus is an extinct genus of mammals of the family Ursidae that existed in North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia during the Miocene, living from ~23—5.3 Ma, existing for approximately . It apparently dispersed from Asia into North America about 20 Ma, becoming the earliest member of the...
† (genus)- Ursavus brevirhinus†
- Ursavus elmensisUrsavus elmensisUrsavus elmensis is an extinct species of primitive bear endemic to Europe during the Miocene living from ~16—13.7 Mya, existing for approximately ....
† - Ursavus pawniensis†
- Ursavus primaevus†
- Agriotherium
- Ailuropodini (tribe)
- Ursinae (subfamily)
The genera Melursus and Helarctos are sometimes also included in Ursus. The Asiatic black bear and the polar bear used to be placed in their own genera, Selenarctos and Thalarctos which are now placed at subgenus
Subgenus
In biology, a subgenus is a taxonomic rank directly below genus.In zoology, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between the generic name and the specific epithet: e.g. the Tiger Cowry of the Indo-Pacific, Cypraea tigris Linnaeus, which...
rank.
A number of hybrids have been bred between American black, brown, and polar bears (see Ursid hybrid
Ursid hybrid
An ursid hybrid is an animal with parents from two different species or subspecies of the Ursidae family. Species and subspecies of bear known to have produced offspring with another bear species or subspecies include brown bears, black bears, grizzly bears and polar bears, all of which are...
s).