The Asian Black Bear ( Ursus thibetanus or Selenarctos thibetanus ) , also known as the Asiatic Black Bear , Tibetan Black Bear , the Himalayan Black Bear , or the Moon Bear , is a medium sized , sharp-clawed , black-colored bear with a distinctive white or cream `` V '' marking on its chest . It is a close relative of the American Black Bear with which it is thought to share a European common ancestor . According to Jack Hanna 's Monkeys on the Interstate , a bear captured in Sanford , Florida was thought to have been the offspring of an escaped female Asian black bear and an American black bear , and Scherren 's Some notes on hybrid bears published in 1907 mentioned a successful mating between an Asian black bear and a sloth bear .