Proposal to Add Subspecies of Ursus arctos to iNaturalist

Curators
1

Dear curators,
I would like to propose the addition of the following subspecies of Ursus arctos (Brown Bear) to the iNaturalist taxonomy:

  • Ursus arctos alascensis Merriam, 1896
    (Interior Alaska and western Yukon brown bear)
  • Ursus arctos gyas Merriam, 1902
    (Alaska Peninsula brown bear)
  • Ursus arctos stikeenensis Merriam, 1914
    (Stikine River region brown bear)

These subspecies are recognized by authoritative taxonomic databases, including:

Currently, most brown bear observations from key regions such as coastal and interior Alaska and coastal British Columbia are only classified at the species level (Ursus arctos), with no available option for subspecies designation in iNaturalist. This reduces taxonomic resolution and limits the usefulness of these observations for ecological monitoring and biogeographic studies.
These subspecies represent well-documented populations with distinct ecological, geographic, and in some cases morphological characteristics, and are relevant for conservation and natural history purposes.
Thank you very much for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Rafael Polit
donrafael

1 Like
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I believe you should post a message / flag on the species page for Ursus arctos under Curation to make this request.
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/41641-Ursus-arctos

Not sure if the ASM Mammal Diversity Database recognizes these subspecies.

6 Likes
3

Yes, this type of discussion should be had on a taxon flag on iNat itself. Please raise a flag on Ursus arctos - you can probably just paste most of the initial post there. As such, I’ll close the thread here.