Rub tree use and selection by American black bears and grizzly bears in northern Yellowstone National Park
Several of the world’s bear species exhibit tree-rubbing behavior, which is thought to be a form of scent-marking communication. Many aspects of this behavior remain unexplored, including differences in rub tree selection between sympatric bear species. We compiled rub tree data collected on Yellowstone National Park’s Northern Range (USA) and compared rub tree selection of […]
Exposure of American black bears to various pathogens in Wisconsin
We compared location, sex, and season of 97 American black bears (Ursus americanus) captured and sampled from March 2003 to March 2006 near Lakewood and Hiles, Wisconsin, USA, relative to exposure to toxoplasmosis, canine distemper virus (CDV), eastern equine encephalitis virus, Venezuelan equine encephalitis, St. Louis encephalitis, canine parvovirus, and tularemia. A large percentage of […]
Alpine ericaceous dwarf shrubs as summer food resources for Asiatic black bears in Japan
The Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) is known to use the fruits of various fleshy-fruited plant species as food resources. However, there is no published evidence regarding whether they feed on the berries of 4 ericaceous dwarf shrub species that are widely distributed in alpine regions in Japan (Empetrum nigrum, Vaccinium uliginosum, Gaultheria pyroloides, and […]
First evidence of a brown bear on Wrangel Island, Russia
We report the first photographic and genetic evidence of a brown bear (Ursus arctos) on Wrangel Island, Russia, located north of 71° in the Arctic Ocean. The sequenced control region (D-loop) of mitochondrial DNA obtained from hair of a sighted bear was indistinguishable from one of the most widespread haplotypes of the Eurasian brown bear. […]
Sloth bears and anthropogenic risks in Karnataka, India
Sloth bears (Melursus ursinus) fall victim to anthropogenic hazards, including snares, small crude explosive devices, open wells, and roads, as well as gunshots, barbed wire, and mob attacks. While conducting rescue efforts in the southern state of Karnataka, India, Wildlife SOS collected data on 20 snare incidents, 8 crude explosive device incidents, 7 roadkill incidents, […]
Optimal barbed wire height for brown bear hair sample collection
Hair samples obtained from barbed wire can identify bears from DNA, assess trophic position from stable isotopes, and yield other data. For brown bears (Ursus arctos), a wire height of 50 cm has become standard protocol, but the efficacy of this height has not been evaluated. Here, we briefly review this protocol, and use data […]
Ecto- and endoparasites of brown bears living in an extreme environment, the Gobi Desert, Mongolia
We report the first survey of ecto- and endoparasites of brown bears (Ursus arctos gobiensis) in the Gobi Desert, Mongolia. We collected 40 ticks from 1 female (21 yr old, 48 kg) and 2 males (10 yr, 155 kg; 5 yr, 108 kg) captured for research purposes in May 2018. We found Dermacentor nutalli (n […]
