The Asian black bear's scientific name is Selenarctos tibetanus which means "moon bear of Tibet." Asian bears also have two other names, the Tibetan black bear and Himalayan black bear. They are a highly adaptable forest animal and are found from the bases of eastern Asia's coastal foothills up to 13,000 feet (4,000 m.) It also accurs in Iran, Afghanistan, and also northern Pakistan, and east through the Himalaya Mountain as far as Bangladesh and Laos, north throughout the Tibetan Plateau, Manchuria, and in forested areas of China. Asian black bears are also found on Formosa (Taiwan) and the Japanese islands of Honshu and Shikuko.

The Moon bear gets its name from the large, white crescent-shaped mark on its chest. The rest of the bear's body fur is jet black except for its brown or tan muzzle and whitish chin.

The "moon bear" eats nuts, berries, fruits, beetle larvae, termites and carrion. It likes to hibernate during the winter. But before it hibernates it eats a lot of its favorite foods to get fat. In winter the females have their cubs. The cubs stay with their mother for two to three years. Then they leave their mother and go out on their own.