A ge­netic study by Mongolian researcher T.Odbayar at Idaho University, USAhas proved Gobi Bear (the Maza­alai) to be different from Himalayan bears.

T.Odbayar has been working to clarify the taxonomy of Gobi bear since the Gobi bear conservation work group was established. Previous studies have determined Gobi bear to be genetically separate species from brown bear. This time, the researcher aimed to compare the species’ genetic information with genetic information of Himalayan and Tenger mountain bears.

T.Odbayar informed this result of her study on the Mazaalai at a press confer­ence that took place at the Ministry of Environment and Green Development of Mongolia on Tuesday.

The Gobi bear, Ursus arctos gobien­sis (known in Mongolian as the Maza­alai) is a subspecies of the brown bear, Ursus arctos, that is found in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia. At present they are listed as “very rare” in the Mongo­lian Red Book, and may represent a threatened subspecies, as the small population of Gobi bears makes them vulnerable to outside threats. In recent population estimation based on genetic analysis, there are 22-31 individuals living in the Gobi desert (Report 2012, Gobi bear project team).

The Gobi brown bear is sometimes classified as being of the same sub­species as the Tibetan blue bear; this is based on morphological similarities, and the belief that the desert-dwelling Gobi bear represents a relict popula­tion of the blue bear. However, the Gobi bear is sometimes classified as its own subspecies, and closely resembles oth­er Asian brown bears.