Atlas Bear by Ghirin

Atlas Bear by Ghirin

The Atlas bear was the only species of modern bear to live in Africa. It was native to the forests of North Africa and was thought to be a sub-species of the brown bear (Ursus arctos crowtheri). The Atlas bear was smaller than most brown bears and closer in size to the North American black bear.

The Atlas bear was believed to be the Libyan bear mentioned by ancient writers and may also have been the Numidian bear used for arena games by the ancient Romans.

The bear's former habitat was the dry forest of North Africa. Most of the North African forest has been cut and this was thought to be the major cause of the bear's extinction. A small population of bears survived in the Atlas Mountains until the 1800s. At that time, the increase in the number of firearms in North Africa led to over-hunting and final extinction of the Atlas bear. The Atlas bear prefers a mixture of coniferous and deciduous forest with some elevation. Source of information and plaque illustration: The Doomsdat Book of Animals by David Day, 1981.

Created by Ghirin, 2003

Updated 2010-10-30

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