Grizzly Bear Food Habits, Movements, and Habitat Selection in the Mission Mountains
Servheen C. 1983. Grizzly Bear Food Habits, Movements, and Habitat Selection in the Mission Mountains. The Journal of Wildlife Management. 47(4):1026-1035
The food habits, movements, and habitat selection of grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis) were studied in the Mission Mountains, Montana from 1976 through 1979. Important foods by season were: spring-graminoids and carrion; summer-forbs, ferns, and graminoids; and autumn-tree and shrub fruits, insects, and graminoids. Home range was measured for 6 radio-collared grizzly bears. Adult males had larger home range sizes (1,402 km^2) than females (285 km^2). Home ranges of all age- and sex classes overlapped and there was no evidence of territorial behavior. Home range overlap of 3 female grizzly bears was least in spring and greatest in autumn, and was related to seasonal changes in resource distribution. Density averaged 1 bear/49 km^2 within the 780-km2 study area. Grizzly bears were seasonal altitudinal migrants in the Mission Mountains. Areas used more (P < 0.05) than expected were riparian zones and wet seeps in spring, wet seeps and alpine slabrock in summer, and riparian zones, wet seeps, wet meadows, and alpine slabrock in autumn.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Servheen, Christopher
- Units
- GLAC
- Keywords
- Animal Studies, Diet, Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos), Habitat Utilization, Mission Mountains MT, Movement (Animal)