A Preliminary Analysis of the Activities of Captive Black Bear (Ursus americanus)--Locomotion and Breeding
Ludlow JC. 1974. A Preliminary Analysis of the Activities of Captive Black Bear (Ursus americanus)--Locomotion and Breeding. University of Tennessee
The behavior of the American black bear, Ursus americanus, has been poorly documented in the past. This investigation is a preliminary analysis of the diurnal activities of a hand-reared female and a captive wild male black bear, and the successful breeding of another pair of captive black bears. Two black bears were kept in a semi-naturalistic enclosure at Tremont within the Great Smoky Mountain National Park (GSMNP). Their daily activities were recorded by a scan sampling technique, supplemented by photographic accounts. Detailed systematic records were kept of behaviors classified into categories (locomotor, non-locomotor). The bears' activities were analyzed in terms of the female's oestrous cycle, weather conditions and enclosure conditions. Differences were found in overall activity as a function of the three variables considered, with the greatest effect evidenced when the bears were allowed together: the female's activity level decreased and the male'S activity level increased. No more than 20% of the total time observed was spent engaged in non-locomotor activities.
- Type
- Academic
- Authors
- Ludlow, Jeanne
- Date of Issue
- 1974-06
- Publisher
- University of Tennessee
- Units
- GRSM
- Keywords
- American black bear, bear, behavior, captivity, GRSM-01695, mammal, reproduction, thesis, Tremont, Ursus americanus