An apparent case of infanticide in the Asiatic black bear in Japan

Despite being well-researched in several other bear species, the act of infanticide has yet to be documented in Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus). We captured video footage of an apparent infanticide event in May 2016 using sensor cameras placed outside the winter den of a known female in Nagan...

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Published inUrsus (International Association for Bear Research and Management) Vol. 2021; no. 32e16; pp. 1 - 6
Main Authors Tamatani, Hiroo, Hiorns, Amelia, Yamamoto, Toshiaki
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published International Association for Bear Research and Management 16.09.2021
Subjects
Asiatic black bear
breeding season
infanticide
Japan
Nagano Prefecture
sensor camera
Ursus thibetanus
winter den
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Summary:Despite being well-researched in several other bear species, the act of infanticide has yet to be documented in Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus). We captured video footage of an apparent infanticide event in May 2016 using sensor cameras placed outside the winter den of a known female in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. We observed the presence of a known male outside the den, interacting with the female and her offspring. The female ultimately died and her body did not appear to have been consumed by the male bear. From our observations we considered both sexually selected infanticide and nutritional demand as possible motives behind the male's attack.
ISSN:1537-6176
1938-5439
DOI:10.2192/URSUS-D-20-00019.2