Post by warsaw on Jan 13, 2013 6:43:28 GMT -9
Ursus arctos mandchuricus (Heude)
Manchurian Brown Bear
Ursarctos mandchuricus HEUDE, 1898, MWm. Conc. l'Hist. Nat. l'Emp. Chin.,
Ursus arctos mandchuricus (Heude)
Manchurian Brown Bear
Ursarctos mandchuricus HEUDE, 1898, MWm. Conc. l'Hist. Nat. l'Emp. Chin.,
IV, p. 23, P1. I.
One skull without skin: Nelta River, sixty miles north of
Khabarovsk.
A large bear skull with well-worn teeth, purchased from the natives
at a lumber camp, sixty miles north of Khabarovsk, is here provisionally
referred to the above species. The brown bears of eastern Asia are rather
imperfectly known. Gray's name (lasiotus) of 1867 appears to have been
disregarded by later authors, but according to Lonnberg, it is applicable
to the big bear of Mongolia and the interior of China. It is possible that
this species is identical with mandchuricus, and, if such is the case, Gray's
name has the priority. The question of identity of the two named forms
can hardly be decided at the present time. Sowerby applied Heude's
specific name cavifrons to a bear from North Kirin, Manchuria. In
cranial measurements and characters described nothing prohibits the
specific identity of this bear with the present specimen. Sowerby refers
Heude's cavifrons to Spelaeus. As characteristic of the latter he mentions
"very high forehead so that the cranial outline at this point is
concave." The same is true of the present specimen. This character is
very variable in other species of bears and there is a probability that the
same is true here and the high brow may be an age character. The skull
of mandchuricus is said to be large, long and narrow with a very slightly
concave outline. The important skull characters mentioned by Gray as
distinguishing the grizzly bears from the arctos group-a narrow palate
constricted behind-are not mentioned for cavifrons, but if such should
happen to be the case our Amur skull has nothing to do with it, because
the latter has a broad palate not constricted behind the molars, and
therefore belongs to the arctos group. Ognev accepts Heude's name,
mandchuricus, and refers the big brown bear of northern Manchuria,
Maritime and Amur districts, to this species.
1933] 5
AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES
Measurements: greatest length, 420 mm.; zygomatic breadth,
265 mm.; interorbital breadth, 118 mm.; width of palate inside p2,
least width of palate behind molars, 47 mm.; distance from back of
palate to front of incisors, 217 mm.; front of canine to back of last molar,
157 mm.; combined length of p4 mI m2, 85 mm.; length of m2, 42 mm.;
width of m2, 24 mm.; length of lower jaw, 275 mm.
The specimen was killed on February 7, by natives, who found its
tracks in the snow in zero weather. I saw a number of bear skulls hung
up on branches at the outskirts of Tungus villages to drive away evil
spirits. They were all small skulls, however, and probably of the
Selenarctos thibetans group.
digitallibrary.amnh.org/dspace/bitstream/handle/2246/3862/v2/dspace/ingest/pdfSource/nov/N0681.pdf?sequence=1
Manchurian Brown Bear
Ursarctos mandchuricus HEUDE, 1898, MWm. Conc. l'Hist. Nat. l'Emp. Chin.,
Ursus arctos mandchuricus (Heude)
Manchurian Brown Bear
Ursarctos mandchuricus HEUDE, 1898, MWm. Conc. l'Hist. Nat. l'Emp. Chin.,
IV, p. 23, P1. I.
One skull without skin: Nelta River, sixty miles north of
Khabarovsk.
A large bear skull with well-worn teeth, purchased from the natives
at a lumber camp, sixty miles north of Khabarovsk, is here provisionally
referred to the above species. The brown bears of eastern Asia are rather
imperfectly known. Gray's name (lasiotus) of 1867 appears to have been
disregarded by later authors, but according to Lonnberg, it is applicable
to the big bear of Mongolia and the interior of China. It is possible that
this species is identical with mandchuricus, and, if such is the case, Gray's
name has the priority. The question of identity of the two named forms
can hardly be decided at the present time. Sowerby applied Heude's
specific name cavifrons to a bear from North Kirin, Manchuria. In
cranial measurements and characters described nothing prohibits the
specific identity of this bear with the present specimen. Sowerby refers
Heude's cavifrons to Spelaeus. As characteristic of the latter he mentions
"very high forehead so that the cranial outline at this point is
concave." The same is true of the present specimen. This character is
very variable in other species of bears and there is a probability that the
same is true here and the high brow may be an age character. The skull
of mandchuricus is said to be large, long and narrow with a very slightly
concave outline. The important skull characters mentioned by Gray as
distinguishing the grizzly bears from the arctos group-a narrow palate
constricted behind-are not mentioned for cavifrons, but if such should
happen to be the case our Amur skull has nothing to do with it, because
the latter has a broad palate not constricted behind the molars, and
therefore belongs to the arctos group. Ognev accepts Heude's name,
mandchuricus, and refers the big brown bear of northern Manchuria,
Maritime and Amur districts, to this species.
1933] 5
AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES
Measurements: greatest length, 420 mm.; zygomatic breadth,
265 mm.; interorbital breadth, 118 mm.; width of palate inside p2,
least width of palate behind molars, 47 mm.; distance from back of
palate to front of incisors, 217 mm.; front of canine to back of last molar,
157 mm.; combined length of p4 mI m2, 85 mm.; length of m2, 42 mm.;
width of m2, 24 mm.; length of lower jaw, 275 mm.
The specimen was killed on February 7, by natives, who found its
tracks in the snow in zero weather. I saw a number of bear skulls hung
up on branches at the outskirts of Tungus villages to drive away evil
spirits. They were all small skulls, however, and probably of the
Selenarctos thibetans group.
digitallibrary.amnh.org/dspace/bitstream/handle/2246/3862/v2/dspace/ingest/pdfSource/nov/N0681.pdf?sequence=1