Brown bear food habits in natural and human-modified landscapes in West-European Russia
Brown bear (Ursus arctos) diet composition and seasonal food habits were examined in the Central Forest Nature Reserve (CFNR) in West-European Russia. This territory has 2 landscape types: (1) a mostly intact and strictly protected CFNR core area with southern taiga forests, and (2) a human-modified buffer zone around it. We collected 758 bear scats […]
Escaping heat and anthropogenic pressures? Asiatic black bear denning behavior in its westernmost global range
The range of the Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) extends in its western limits to southeastern Iran where the species lives in arid mountainous landscapes in low densities. A better understanding of the adaptations of this threatened subspecies, the Baluchistan black bear (U. t. gedrosianus), to these harsh environmental conditions is necessary to devise conservation […]
Interactions between brown bear cubs of different mothers in Kashmir, India
The social lives of brown bears (Ursus arctos) are still largely a mystery, partly because of the difficulty in studying the topic. Here we report on the interactions between 2 Himalayan brown bear family units at a dump site roughly 53 km outside of Srinagar, Kashmir, India. Brown bear cubs from 2 different mothers were […]
Social network analysis uncovers hidden social complexity in giant pandas
Analyses of animal social networks have traditionally been conducted on species that exhibit social behaviors such as group living, whereas relatively less work has been done on species that are thought of as solitary, are cryptic, and that communicate through scent-marking cues. We employed noninvasive fecal genetic sampling, conducted from March 2015 to February 2016, […]
Survey on gastro-intestinal parasites of captive sun bears in Malaysia
This study aimed to investigate parasitic infection in captive sun bears (Helarctos malayanus) in Malaysia from December 2018 to May 2019. We collected 58 fecal samples from sun bears housed in the National Zoo, Taiping Zoo Night Safari, Lok Kawi Wildlife Park, and Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre. We analyzed the samples using modified fecal […]
Home range estimate of sloth bear using noninvasive camera-trap data
Estimating home range size is an important aspect of ecological studies that helps in understanding species biology. The myrmecophagous sloth bear (Melursus ursinus) is one of the least studied large carnivores and is found in the Indian subcontinent with India being its stronghold. Despite its wide distribution in India, only one study has estimated its […]
On evaluating the efficacy of air-borne synthetic aperture radar for detecting polar bears: A pilot study
Knowing the location of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in their winter dens is crucial for minimizing disturbance during this critical period in their life cycle. Previous research has used Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) technology to detect bear dens but has only achieved a detection accuracy of 45% for single flights. The thermal nature of FLIR […]
Anthropogenic waste ingestion of Southern Beaufort Sea polar bears, Alaska (2010-2020)
We report on anthropogenic waste ingestion and associated foreign-body gastric pathology in polar bears (Ursus maritimus) within the North Slope Borough, Alaska, from stomach content analysis of 42 bears during 2010 to 2020. User plastics and rubbish other than plastics were observed in 28.6% (12/42) and 11.9% (5/42), respectively. Acute gastritis was present in 33.3% […]
Andean bear gastrointestinal parasites in Chingaza Massif, Colombia
The Andean bear (Tremarctos ornatus) is the only species of the Ursidae that inhabits the Andes in South America. The natural history of the species and health issues related to infectious diseases, particularly the presence of gastrointestinal parasites (GIP), is unknown. To determine the prevalence, infestation, and richness of GIP in fecal samples of wild […]
Video-documentation of true and borderline tool use by wild American black bears
Animal tool use has been documented for a variety of wildlife, but few studies have evaluated tool use by bears. We used long-term video data to observe and classify behaviors of wild American black bears (Ursus americanus) in western Montana, USA, during 2012-2022. We present video-documentation of true and borderline tool use by multiple individuals. […]
