The Asiatic black bear has many similarities to its cousin, the American black bear. These bears have a white ‘v’ shape patch of fur on the chest. The colour of the patch varies from white to brown.

The asiatic black bears are found in Northern India, Pakistan, Nepal, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Burma, China, Russia, Taiwan and Japan. These bears generally live in heavy forested areas and hilly places. They feed on fruits, bee's nest, insects, invertebrates, small vertebrates, cherries, herbs, termites, seeds, nuts, honey, carcasses, etc. The Asiatic blackbears are killed in many countries for the bile and gall bladder which command a good price in the Asian medicinal market for its organ's potency.

Conservation status: These are listed as Appendix I in CITES.