• Version
• Download 11
• File Size 367.64 KB
• Create Date 1 January 1983
• Download

Hourly movements of radio-collared black bears (Ursus americanus) were monitored periodically from May through December 1976-1979 in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Cherokee National Forest in eastern Tennessee. Diel movements were affected by habitat, food supply, time of year, time of day, sex, age, presence of cubs, and social interactions. Bears were relatively sedentary where food was easily obtained but foraged over larger areas when high-energy foods were dispersed. Nocturnal movements were most affected by food supply. Daily movements changed seasonally and from year to year in response to seasonal and year-to-year changes in food supply. Adult males generally traveled more per day than adult females, and young bears traveled further than adult bears. Females with cubs limited their movements, especially during the spring. All bears utilized only a small portion of their seasonal range in the course of a day, often traveling in a zig-zag or circular pattern. Circuitous travel routes were particularly evident where bear densities were high.