Reconstruction of the Nepalese tree bear by Philippe Coudray in Guide des Animaux Cachés (2009).
- Other names: Rukh balu
- Country reported: Nepal
The Nepalese tree bear (Selenarctos arboreus or Ursus nepalensis) is a cryptid bear reported from the Nepalese Himalayas. It was first described in the 19th Century in The Fauna of British India, but was forgotten until 1983 and 1984, when Daniel Taylor-Ide and Robert L. Fleming gathered reports of a small, agile bear living in the Barun Valley. It was described as weighing around 150 pounds, with black fur and smaller teeth than a black bear. According to villagers, it is primarily arboreal, constructing elaborate, complex nests in trees. It eats ripe corn at the end of the monsoons.[1][2]
Eleven skulls of the bear were collected. If it is not a new species, it may simply be a juvenile Asiatic black bear.[1]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Eberhart, George (2002) Mysterious Creatures: A Guide to Cryptozoology
- ↑ Taylor-Ide, Daniel (1995) Something Hidden Behind the Ranges: A Himalayan Quest