Sometimes, when we are in the mood, we try to start off a new discussion with the suggestion of a topic to get things rolling. Of course, we never stay on point and digress all over the place. Or, get bored with the subject matter and just chat. Whatever. It matters not.
The point is that we are all interested in anything and everything having to do with the ecology of rain forests in particular - and of nature in general.
At this time of the year, the tube is likely to be showing one of its annual presentations of that old classic chestnut "The Wizard of Oz": hence, lions and tigers and bears.
There are bears in the rain forest, and in the cloud forests of the Andes, and in the tropical forests of southeast Asia.
There are 8 main species of bears: Asiatic Black Bear, American Black Bear, Brown Bear, Polar Bear, Sloth Bear, Spectacled Bear, Giant Panda, and Sun Bear.
Perhaps the Panda Bear comes most readily to mind when speaking of rain forests as we know that its' (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) habitat is in the lush, wet, foggy woodlands (montane temperate forest) of China, and that they subsist mainly on bamboo.
But the Spectacled Bear (Tremarctos ornatus) resides in the cloud forests of the Andes range in South America. The Sun Bear (Helarctos malayanus) hangs out in lowland tropical rain forests. The Asiatic Black Bear likes moist tropical forests of southeast Asia.
Of course, we have our own Brown Bear (the Ursus arctos), which has two subspecies: Ursus horribilis (the Grizzly), and Ursus middendorffi (Kodiak). One could argue that the Grizzly inhabits, in part, some rain forests in our northwest territory. Certainly the Kodiak on the islands off the Kodiak range is rain forest territory.
Let's start here and go exploring, and post some photos, please:
The Bear Den
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