Home ranges of brown bears (Ursus arctos) in the Sikhote-Alin
Abstract
Proper management of the brown bear population (Ursus arctos) requires knowledge its ecology, including the space use of animals. Due to the lack of studies, involving telemetric methods for studding wild animals, this issue covered insufficiently in the Far East of Russia. The aim of the work was to study territory space use by the brown bears in Sikhote-Alin. In 1993–2002, on the Middle Sikhote-Alin we collected data on eight adult and one young males, five adult and one young females equipped with radiocollars. Average home range size of adult individuals was more for males (891.34 ± 346.99 km2) comparing to females (349.94 ± 543.06 km2). Home range sizes of young animals occupied areas of 237.24 and 333.64 km2 in male and female, respectively. The maximum home range size was for the two-year area of the male (9217.36 km2). The core area sizes varied over a wide range (6.12–358.45 km2). The structure and location of home ranges and their core areas depended on the seasonal habitat selection of bears, the distribution, abundance and accessibility of feed to bears. Bears home ranges overlapped between males and females, as well as between same sex individuals. The results of this work are important for the management of the brown bear population in the Sikhote-Alin.