Which desert is home to the endangered Gobi bear?

The endangered Gobi bear lives in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia. Known in Mongolian as the Mazaalai, it is a rare subspecies of brown bear scientifically called Ursus arctos gobiensis.

Unlike many brown bears associated with forests or mountains, Gobi bears survive in an extremely arid desert environment. Their range is concentrated near water sources across a restricted area of the Mongolian Gobi. They are generally solitary, except during mating and when females raise cubs, and they reduce their activity during the severe winter months.

Their diet is dominated by plants, roots and berries, with only a small proportion coming from animal foods such as rodents. This makes the Gobi bear an unusual desert specialist rather than a predator dependent on large prey. Adults are also smaller than many other brown-bear subspecies.

The population is critically endangered and extremely isolated. Recent estimates put the wild population at only a few dozen animals, with long-term genetic monitoring indicating very low genetic diversity. Hunting was banned in Mongolia in 1959, but scarcity of water, habitat isolation and human activity remain major conservation challenges.