Abstract 214 – Mating behavior and site selection of Asian black bear in Japan

Tomoko Naganuma, Seung-Yun Baek, Kahoko Tochigi, Naoki Takekoshi, Chinatsu
Kozakai, Koji Yamazaki, Shinsuke Koike

The mating behavior of Asian black bear (Ursus thibetanus) has been limited on observations of
captive populations. Hence, the habitat use and behavior during courtship of free-ranging bears
are poorly understood. Animal-borne camera systems (i.e., cameras attached on animals)
provide novel tools to study the behavior of elusive animals. Here, we used a video camera
integrated with a GPS collar to record the behaviors of free-ranging bears during the mating
season (May-July). During the mating season, collars were deployed on seven adult bears (five
males and two females) captured in Ashio-Nikko Mountains and Okutama Mountains, central
Japan. The video and GPS data were then downloaded from the collars and analyzed in terms of
mating behavior. All the bears were found to interact with other uniquely identifiable bears for
some of the times (range 9–26 days) during the deployment period (range 26–64 days), and
multiple mating in males was documented. Both males and females exhibited different
behaviors on social days (i.e., days when the bear interacted with conspecifics) compared with
solitary days (i.e., days with no observed interactions with conspecifics). Compared with solitary
days, the bears spent a lower proportion of time on foraging behaviors and higher proportion
of time on resting behaviors on social days. Our findings suggest that Asian black bears reduce
their foraging behaviors on social days and engaged more in social interactions. Also, we will
show the results of habitat use analysis to elucidate the relationship between the
characteristics of bear mating sites and their behavior, which may provide insights into the
behavioral patterns related to the mating habitats.