Use of salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) by Brown Bears (Ursus arctos) in an Arctic, interior, montane environment

Salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) is a key dietary item for temperate coastal Brown Bears (Ursus arctos) across much of their circumpolar range. Brown Bears living in Arctic, interior, and montane environments without large annual runs of salmon tend to be smaller bodied and occur at much lower densities t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Canadian Field-Naturalist
Main Authors: Sorum, Mathew S., Joly, Kyle, Cameron, Matthew D.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: The Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club 2019
Subjects:
Alaska
Brown Bear
diet
fishing
mountains
Oncorhynchus spp
salmon
Ursus arctos
Brooks Range
Arctic
brown bear
Online Access:https://www.canadianfieldnaturalist.ca/index.php/cfn/article/view/2114
https://doi.org/10.22621/cfn.v133i2.2114
Description
Summary:Salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) is a key dietary item for temperate coastal Brown Bears (Ursus arctos) across much of their circumpolar range. Brown Bears living in Arctic, interior, and montane environments without large annual runs of salmon tend to be smaller bodied and occur at much lower densities than coastal populations. We conducted ground and aerial surveys to assess whether Brown Bears fished for salmon above the Arctic Circle, in and around Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve. Here, we document the use of salmon by interior Brown Bears in the Arctic mountains of the central Brooks Range of Alaska. We believe our findings could be important for understanding the breadth of the species’ diet across major biomes, as well as visitor safety in the park and Brown Bear conservation in the region.

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