Seasonal gut microbiota changes in omnivores (brown bears as an example)

As I have been reading about the many different microorganisms (but also enzymes) that are involved in the digestion of food in mammals, I have come to understand that different organisms and compounds are involved in digesting materials in which either sugars, proteins, starch, cellulose, lignin etc. dominate. Many mammals have evolved symbiotic associations with …

On humming in bears

Recently I read this adorable research publication (Peters, G. et al., 2007) The publication itself was not adorable but it discussed an adorable phenomenon, i.e., humming in bears. Humming is known in almost all bear species except giant pandas and it might have evolved in association with seasonality (hibernation). Bear cubs tend to hum when …

Regarding (grizzly) bear eyesight and vision

It is nowadays considered a misconception that grizzly bears have poor eyesight and this misconception has been rebuked by science. It is thought that grizzly bear vision is akin to that of humans. However, I recently read the publication, 'The Grizzlies of Mount McKinley' by the famous early naturalist Adolph Murie (1981). I have read …

Could inbreeding be related to sensory impairment?

This will be a short post referencing the study by Zedrosser, A. et al., 2007 where dispersal was analyzed in a Scandinavian brown bear population (in two study areas). While the objective of the study was not related to inbreeding, the phenomenon was briefly discussed due to the possibility that males disperse in order to …

Could logging increase human-wildlife conflict rates?

I am writing this post from the perspective of wolf biology but the contents might refer to other large carnivore (and even large herbivore, mesopredators, omnivore etc.) species, as well. I have observed a tendency in the Latvian media to publish articles on wolf depredation of livestock or increased sightings of wolves following periods of …

Bear cognition – can object manipulation promote sociality?

In this post, I would like to argue for an extended view of sociality and social interactions. In wildlife biology, sociality is usually regarded as formation of cooperative and resource-sharing groups within a species. The most basic social unit is mother-offspring unit. However, species in which mother raises her offspring alone frequently are not regarded …

Brown bear female density and population genetic viability estimates should be considered more carefully due to matrilineal clustering

Approximately a year ago I read the research publication discussing the population growth in the highly endangered Cantabrian brown bears (Uzal, A. et al., 2022). The study stated a rather logical conclusion which I also find to be supported, namely, that 1) increased proximity between the reproductive dens and 2) decreased proximity to landscape elements …

Several questions related to matrilineal clustering of female brown bears (regarding philopatry of old males, female clanship and habitat quality influence on kinship clusters)

Recently I read two publications: 'Kin-related spatial structure in brown bears, Ursus arctos' (Støen, O.-G., 2005) - Sweden, Norway; 'Ain’t nothing like family: Female brown bears share their home range with relatives' (Olerjarz, A. et al., 2022) - Finland. The following questions have arisen out of the results and discussion of these publications. 1. I …

Bear-human conflicts – due to habitat homogeneity?

As with many large predators, concerns are raised when bears approach human settlements. Some studies suggest that some bears are likelier to exhibit such behaviour than others (e.g., Berezowska-Cnota, T. et al., 2023) Meanwhile, it is not clear whether these patterns are driven by individual traits (intrinsic factors) or environmental conditions (external factors) (e.g., Bombieri, …

Waiting for large predator population stabilization rather than upkeeping the destabilization trend – to lower human-wildlife conflict rates and to predict migration

I have been gathering data regarding these issues in wolf conservation and management. I have noticed absence of certain type of research which I, personally, think might be very useful and hold advisory potential. Truthfully, in some respects, I would like to discuss an approach which might appear rather like 'ignoring the problem until it …