Characteristics of Black Bear Dens in the Southern Appalachian Region

Wathen, William G.; Johnson, Kenneth G.; Pelton, Michael R.

doi:10.2307/3872815

Cited by 13 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Bromlei (1965) and Yudin (1993) came to similar conclusions in the Russian Far East, and such behavior is also noted for American black bear in the southeastern part of their range (Landers et al 1979 ;Pelton et al 1980 ;Johnson and Pelton 1981;Smith 1986;Wathen et al 1986;Weaver and Pelton 1994). Other observations in NJA corroborate our conclusions.…”

Section: Den Characteristicssupporting

confidence: 85%

“…Beecham et al 1983 ;Kolenosky and Strathearn 1987;Rogers 1987;Schwartz et al 1987;Wathen et al 1986;Weaver and Pelton 1994), suggesting that den type and quality play minor roles in bear survival and recruitment. However, elevated tree dens might offer better protection from the weather (Thorkelson and Maxwell 1974;Johnson et al 1978;Johnson and Pelton 1981 ;Hayes 1990), from flooding (Landers et al 1979;Johnson and Pelton 1981;Alt 1984a;Smith 1986;Schwartz et al 1987;Smith et al 1994), and from predators, including other bears, wolves (Canis lupus), and man (Landers et al 1979 ;Rogers and Mech 1981 ;Alt 1984b;Paquet and Carbyn 1986;Elowe and Dodge 1989;Hellgren and Vaughan 1989).…”

Section: Den Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…give birth and rear cubs in winter dens, highlighting the importance of the denning season to bears. American black bears (U. americanus) use a wide variety of winter dens, but in some areas seem to prefer dens in large hollow trees (Beecham et al 1983;LeCount 1983;Wathen et al 1986;Schwartz et al 1987;Heligren and Vaughan 1989 ;Hayes and Pelton 1 994).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Denning ecology of two populations of Asiatic black bears in Nagano prefecture, Japan

Huygens¹,

Goto²,

Izumiyama³

et al. 2001

Mamm

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We investigated dens, denning chronology, and behavior in dens of Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus) in 2 neighboring study areas in central Nagano prefecture, central Japan. In the first area, which had been only partially affected by logging, 3 out of 4 dens were in hollow trees with elevated entrances. In the second area, which had been 100 % affected by logging and where virtually all hollow trees had been removed, 6 out of 6 dens were ground dens. An additional 72 dens of radiocollared bears were in areas we were unable to access due to a combination of steep terrain, deep snow, and distance from roads. The denning period was approximately 5 months, from late November-early December till late April-early May. No bear in a tree den with an elevated entrance left its den during our visits. Females without cubs left their ground dens when visited in December and in April. Females with or without cubs stayed in their ground dens when visited in mid-winter. Females with cubs stayed in their dens when visited in April. Our findings suggest Asiatic black bears in central Nagano prefecture prefer to den in hollow trees with elevated entrances. Forest managers should protect and allow for the recruitment of den trees, as well as assure the seclusion of hibernating bears by limiting access roads in denning areas.Resume. -Nous avons etudie les tanieres, la chronologic de hibernation, et le comportement dans les tanieres, de Tours noir asiatique (Ursus thibetanus) dans 2 regions voisines du centre du departement de Nagano, au centre du Japon. Dans la premiere region, qui n'avait que partiellement ete affectee par Tindustrie forestiere, 3 tanieres sur 4 etaient dans des arbres creux avec des entrees elevees. Dans la deuxieme region, qui avait ete ä 100 % affectee par Industrie forestiere et oü presque tous les arbres creux avaient ete detruits, 6 tanieres sur 6 etaient au sol. Soixante-douze autres tanieres d'ours equipes de radio-emetteurs etaient dans des endroits oü nous ne pouvions pas aller du fait du terrain tres pentu, de la neige, et de la distance les separant des routes d'acces. La periode d'hibernation etait d'environ 5 mois, de fin novembre-debut Mammalia, I. 65, n° 4, 2001: 417-428. Brought to you by | University of Arizona Authenticated Download Date | 6/1/15 11:06 PM 418 MAMMALIA decembre ä fin avril-debut mai. Aucun ours hibernant dans un arbre creux avec une entree elevee n'a abandonne sa taniere pendant nos visites. Les femelles sans oursons abandonnaient leurs tanieres au sol quand nous les derangions en decembre ou en avril. Les femelles avec ou sans oursons restaient dans leurs tanieres au sol quand nous les derangions au milieu de hiver. Les ourses avec oursons restaient dans leurs tanieres au sol quand nous les derangions en avril. Nos resultats suggerent que les ours noirs asiatiques du centre du departement de Nagano preferent hiberner dans des arbres creux avec des entrees elevees. Les services forestiers doivent proteger et assurer la conservation des arbres creux, ainsi qu'assurer l'iso...

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Section: Den Characteristicssupporting

confidence: 85%

Section: Den Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Denning ecology of two populations of Asiatic black bears in Nagano prefecture, Japan

Huygens¹,

Goto²,

Izumiyama³

et al. 2001

Mamm

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“…Bears were captured using spring-activated, Aldrich foot snares [26]. Various chemical immobilization drugs were used over the course of the study [13,[27][28][29][30][31][32]. All captured bears were handled according to animal welfare protocols approved by the University of Tennessee Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC #1096) and follow American Society of Mammalogists guidelines [33].…”

Section: Sample Collection From Live-captured Bearsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using stable isotopes to assess dietary changes of American black bears from 1980 to 2001

Manen

Muller

et al. 2014

Isotopes in Environmental and Health Studies

Self Cite

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We measured stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in 117 hair samples from American black bears (Ursus americanus) in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, during 1980-2001 from live-trapped bears. We also collected hair from bears with known diets to compare with the wild bears. We hypothesized that biological factors (age, mass, and sex), food availability (hard mast and wild hogs (Sus scrofa)), and nuisance status would influence food selection by black bears and changes in their feeding history would be measureable using stable isotopes. We developed a set of a priori models using nine variables to examine changes in black bear stable isotope values. We found no support for changes in δ(13)C values associated with any of the nine variables we analyzed. Bears had enriched (15)N in years with low white oak mast production and depleted (15)N when white oak mast was abundant. Subadults had enriched (15)N compared with adults and older adults. Variation in δ(15)N increased from 1980-1991 to 1992-2000 when hard mast production had greater fluctuations. Bears in a better physical condition appeared more likely to access foods with higher protein content. In years of low white oak acorn production, larger bears and subadults likely turned to alternative food sources. The long-term variation detected in this study was important in identifying which bears were potentially more susceptible to changes in availability of hard mast.

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“…Bears in Scandinavia rely mostly on berries, especially bilberries, for gaining fat reserves in autumn [33, 43, 44], therefore berry production has an impact on pre-hibernation body condition. Some studies have suggested the importance of snow deposition for insulation [23, 24, 45, 46]. We constructed two candidate models in the analysis of post-hibernation BCI.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Room without a view – den construction in relation to body size in brown bears

Shiratsuru

Friebe²,

et al. 2019

Preprint

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1 2 3 4 Room without a view -den construction in relation to body size in brown bears. 5 6 7 8 Abstract 29 Hibernation is an adaptive strategy to survive harsh winter conditions and food shortage.30 The use of well-insulated winter dens helps animals minimize energy loss during 31 hibernation. Brown bears (Ursus arctos) commonly use excavated dens for hibernation.32 Physical properties of excavated dens, such as the amount of space between a bear and the 33 inner wall, wall/roof thickness, and bedding materials, are expected to impact heat retention 34 and energy conservation of bears. The objective of this study was to examine the impact of 35 physical properties of excavated dens on energy conservation in hibernating bears. Our 36 hypothesis was that bears excavate dens in a way to minimize heat loss and optimize 37 energy conservation during hibernation. We predicted that physical properties of excavated 38 dens would significantly affect the bears' post-hibernation body condition. To test our 39 hypothesis and prediction, we analyzed data collected from brown bears in Sweden with 40 linear mixed effects models, examining (i) what factors affect den-excavation behavior and 41 (ii) if physical properties of excavated dens affect post-hibernation body condition. We 42 found that bears excavated a den cavity in relation to their body size, that older bears 43 tended to excavate better-fitting den cavities compared to young bears, and that the physical 44 properties of excavated dens did not significantly affect a bears' post-hibernation body 45 condition. Older bears excavated better-fitting den cavities, suggesting a potentially 46 experience-based shift with age in den-excavation behavior and an optimum cavity size 47 relative to a bear's body size. The strong year effect shown by the most parsimonious 48 model for post-hibernation body condition suggests that variations in physical properties of 49 excavated dens are possibly negligible, compared to the large annual variations in bioticPage 3 50 and abiotic factors affecting pre-hibernation body condition and heat loss during 51 hibernation. 52 53 Key words: body condition, brown bear, den excavation behavior, den, energy 54 conservation, hibernation, Ursus arctos, 55 Page 4 56 Introduction 57 Hibernation is a physiological and behavioral adaptation through which animals 58 survive harsh seasonal conditions, such as inclement weather or low food availability, by 59 minimizing energy loss [1-3]. Small mammalian hibernators, such as arctic ground 60 squirrels (Spermophilus parryii) and Alpine marmots (Marmota marmota), decrease their 61 body temperatures to around 0 C or even lower during hibernation to overcome their high 62 mass-specific metabolic rates and low amount of body fat stores. On the other hand, large 63 mammalian hibernators with large amount of body fat stores, such as brown bears (Ursus 64 arctos) and American black bears (U. americanus), decrease metabolic rates while 65 maintaining relatively high body temperatures [4-5]. 66 Most brown bears an...

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Characteristics of Black Bear Dens in the Southern Appalachian Region

Cited by 13 publications

References 10 publications

Denning ecology of two populations of Asiatic black bears in Nagano prefecture, Japan

Denning ecology of two populations of Asiatic black bears in Nagano prefecture, Japan

Using stable isotopes to assess dietary changes of American black bears from 1980 to 2001

Room without a view – den construction in relation to body size in brown bears

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