Telemetry without collars: performance of fur- and ear-mounted satellite tags for evaluating the movement and behaviour of polar bears ...

• Main Authors: Ross, Tyler R., Thiemann, Gregory W., Kirschhoffer, B. J., Kirschhoffer, Jon, York, Geoff, Derocher, Andrew E., Johnson, Amy C., Lunn, Nicholas J., McGeachy, David, Trim, Vicki, Northrup, Joseph M.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: figshare 2024
• Subjects: Neuroscience; Evolutionary Biology; FOS Biological sciences; Environmental Sciences not elsewhere classified; Ecology; Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified; Inorganic Chemistry; FOS Chemical sciences; polar bear; Ursus maritimus
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.7350496.v1; https://springernature.figshare.com/collections/Telemetry_without_collars_performance_of_fur-_and_ear-mounted_satellite_tags_for_evaluating_the_movement_and_behaviour_of_polar_bears/7350496/1

Abstract The study of animal movement provides insights into underlying ecological processes and informs analyses of behaviour and resource use, which have implications for species management and conservation. The tools used to study animal movement have evolved over the past decades, allowing for data collection from a variety of species, including those living in remote environments. Satellite-linked radio and GPS collars have been used to study polar bear (Ursus maritimus) ecology and movements throughout the circumpolar Arctic for over 50 years. However, due to morphology and growth constraints, only adult female polar bears can be reliably collared. Collars have proven to be safe, but there has been opposition to their use, resulting in a deficiency in data across much of the species’ range. To bolster knowledge of movement characteristics and behaviours for polar bears other than adult females, while also providing an alternative to collars, we tested the use of fur- and ear-mounted telemetry tags that ...