Bears of the World

Vincenzo Penteriani is a researcher at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Senior Editor of Animal Conservation, Associate Editor of Ursus, and is leading the Cantabrian Brown Bear Research Group at the Research Unit of Biodiversity (UMIB), Spain. His current research focuses on the ecology and behaviour of brown bears in human-modified landscapes, as well as on large carnivore attacks on humans. Mario Melletti is an independent researcher and member of the African Buffalo Initiative Group, and the Wild Pig Specialist Group, which are part of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN SSC). He has contributed to several projects and surveys on both mammals and birds in Africa and Europe. He has edited two books with Cambridge University Press: Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour of Wild Cattle (2014) and Ecology, Conservation and Management of Wild Pigs and Peccaries (2017).

'The quality of the information and the general conciseness of the text make this long overdue book a thoroughly enjoyable read … Bears of the World fills a much needed niche in providing an expert overview of accurate, relevant, up‐to‐date, and highly readable information. As the only complete reference work on this subject, its value is immense for professionals in the field of bear ecology and management, and for interested naturalists and conservationists.' Jean‐Pierre d'Huart, The Journal of Wildlife Management

• Part I. Systematic, Ecology and Behaviour: 1. Systematic, evolution and genetic of bears; 2. Mating strategies; 3. Interspecific interactions between brown bears, ungulates and other large carnivores; 4. Adaptations and Competitive Interactions of Tropical Asian Bear Species Define Their Biogeography: Past, Present, and Future; 5. Remarkable adaptations of the American black bear help explain why it is the most common bear: a long-term study from the centre of its range; Part II. Species Accounts: 6. Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca); 7. Andean Bear (Tremarctos ornatus); 8. Sun Bear (Helarctos malayanus); 9. Sloth Bear (Melursus ursinus); 10. Asiatic Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus); 11. American Black Bear (Ursus americanus); 12. Brown Bear (Ursus arctos; Eurasia); 13. Brown Bear (Ursus arctos; North America); 14. Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus); Part III. Human – Bear Coexistence: 15. Human–Bear Conflicts at the Beginning of the Twenty-First Century: Patterns, Determinants, and Mitigation Measures; 16. Principles of Human–Bear Conflict Management in Challenging Environments; 17. Patterns of bear attacks on humans, factors triggering risky scenarios and how to reduce them; 18. Effects of human disturbance on brown bear behavior; 19. Bears in human-dominated landscapes: The case studies of the Cantabrian, Apennine and Pindos Mountains; Part IV. Conservation and Management: 20. Conservation and management of bears; 21. How is climate change affecting polar bears and giant pandas?; 22. Managing for inter-population connectivity of the world's bear species; 23. Ex-situ conservation of bears: Roles, status and management; 24. The Challenge of Brown Bear Management in Hokkaido, Japan; 25. Potential ecological corridors for remnant Asiatic black bear populations and its subpopulations linked to management units in Japan; 26. Captive bears in Asia: Implications for animal welfare and conservation; 27. Human Dimensions of Asiatic Black Bear Conflicts and Management in Japan; 28. Ecological and social dimensions of sloth bear conservation in Sri Lanka.