Male-Instigated Break-up of a Family of Black Bears

A free-ranging, human-habituated female black bear (Ursus americanus) accompanied by 3 yearling offspring was visually observed for about 100 hours (Apr-Oct) in the Camp Ripley Military Reservation, central Minnesota. During April-June, the mother played with and suckled the yearlings, although she...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ursus (International Association for Bear Research and Management) 1998-01, Vol.10, p.575-578
Main Authors: Ternent, Mark A., Garshelis, David L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bears
Black bears
Breeding
Food availability
Mating behavior
Mothers
Observational research
Physiology, Behavior, and Evolution
Social interaction
Suckling
Yearlings
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Summary:A free-ranging, human-habituated female black bear (Ursus americanus) accompanied by 3 yearling offspring was visually observed for about 100 hours (Apr-Oct) in the Camp Ripley Military Reservation, central Minnesota. During April-June, the mother played with and suckled the yearlings, although she was not lactating. The duration of suckling bouts by the yearlings was not significantly different from when they were cubs. During a suckling bout the mother was approached by a breeding-age male; she was initially aggressive toward the male, but then she turned her aggression toward the yearlings and left the area without them. These observations appear inconsistent with the theory of parent-offspring conflict, which predicts a gradual lessening of parental care rather than the abrupt, male-instigated break-up we observed. Caring for yearlings apparently exacted little cost to the mother until breeding activities began. We also observed 2 instances of yearlings rejoining for brief periods, independent of the mother and >2 months after family break-up.
ISSN:1537-6176
1938-5439