There is a world somewhere between reality and fiction. Although ignored by many, it is very real and so are those living in it. This forum is about the natural world. Here, wild animals will be heard and respected. The forum offers a glimpse into an unknown world as well as a room with a view on the present and the future. Anyone able to speak on behalf of those living in the emerald forest and the deep blue sea is invited to join.
Tracking Gobi Grizzlies.
When geneticists analyzed samples of hair said to have come from Yetis, the famed Abominable Snowmen of the Himalayas, the fur turned out to belong to isabellinus. One reason early Gobi scientist-explorers were never able to vouch for the existence of bears in this desert is that the information they gathered from herders included confusing reports of another big, hairy, somewhat human-like-creature roaming the place. This was the Mongolians' version of the Yeti, or Bigfoot. They called it Alma.
No one knows how long mazaalai have lived isolated from other types of grizzlies in Asia. It might not have taken very long for inbreeding within a relatively small population confined to an extreme environment to transform the bears of the Gobi into Ursus arctos something else. It's also possible that Gobi bears became different by remaining largely unchanged through time while grizzly bears elsewhere, able to wander and exchange genes more freely, evolved along different lines.
Bears of the Himalayan Mountains
