Brown Bear Litter Sizes in Croatia

January 1, 2001

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Mean litter sizes and maximum survival of cubs of brown bears (Ursus arctos) in Croatia were calculated based on 116 observations of 106 brown bear family groups. In addition to the number of cubs, each record contained the date, age of cubs (cubs-of-the-year [COY] or yearlings), and location (feeding stations or other places). The mean litter size was 2.39 (n = 56, range 1-4) for COY and 1.96 (n = 50, range 1-4) for yearlings. The difference of 0.43 (18%) was significant. No significant difference in COY and yearling litter sizes was found between spring and fall of the same year. Significantly larger litters of all ages were observed with mothers away from feeding stations (x̄ = 2.36, n = 47), than at feeding stations (x̄ = 2.05, n = 59). This suggests that feeding bears in Croatia for management purposes has not influenced bear reproduction.

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