170 Mammals of Eastern Asia 
feet greatly enlarged and almost completely coalesced. There are 
6 nipples, 2 of which are placed within the axils of the arms. The 
muzzle is shorter than in Ursus or Melursus. The range of 
these Bears includes southern and eastern Asia from the 
Himalayas east to Indo-China and thence northeast through 
South China to Hainan, Formosa, Manchuria, and Japan. The 
typical species is the Tibetan Black Bear, Selenarctos thibetanus. 
The Himalayan or Tibetan Black Bears, Selenarctos 
thibetanus, have the hair of the neck and shoulders longer than 
that of the body. The general color is glossy black, with a vari- 
able amount of white at the chin and a prominent crescent- 
shaped mark on the chest. The upper lip and muzzle are brown. 
The length of head and body typically is about 5% feet. The 
weight may be 250 pounds. The Japanese form (below) is 
smaller — only about 4 feet in length. 
In the hilly country between Bengal and the Irrawaddy, the 
Himalayan Bear occurs between 1200 and 6000 feet. South and 
east it reaches peninsular Siam, Siam, and Annam. In China it 
extends through Kansu and Tibet to Shansi and Hopei. It is 
present on Formosa and Hainan as the race S. t. melli. In Mon- 
golia and the Ussuri region another race, S. t. ussuricus, occurs, 
and in Japan vS\ t. japonicus. An island race, S. t. formosanus, 
occurs on Formosa. 
The period of gestation is about 6 months. Usually 2 cubs are 
born. 
The Malay Bear, Helarctos malayanus, is somewhat smaller 
than the others just described. The length of head and body is 
from 3% to 4 feet, and the weight reaches about 100 pounds. 
The arrangement of the pads of the forefeet is substantially 
like those of Selenarctos, but the head is very short and broad 
and the number of teeth is often reduced. The ears are small 
and rounded. The lips and tongue, though more protrusible 
than in Ursus and Selenarctos, are less so than in the Sloth 
Bear. There are two whorls of hair on the upper shoulders and 
