Food Habits of Brown Bears in Hokkaido, Japan

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Food habits of the brown bear (Ursus arctos yesoensis) were studied from 1975 to 1984 in 4 diverse areas on Hokkaido Island. Foods of bears varied seasonally in each area and differed among areas largely because of differences in foods available. Bears ate mainly succulent herbs in spring and summer and fruits in the fall in northern Hokkaido. Hog's-fennel (Peucedanum multivittatum) dominated the bears' diet in August and September in the alpine areas of the Daisetsu Mountains. Foods of bears on the Shiretoko Peninsula included those from the sea, but were otherwise similar to northern Hokkaido. The diet of bears on the Oshimo Peninsula was dominated by beech (Fagus crenata) buds in the spring in terms of frequency of occurrence, and actinidia (Actinidia arguta) fruit in the fall.