Authors
Shinsuke Koike, Rumiko Nakashita, Chinatsu Kozakai, Ami Nakajima, Yui Nemoto, Koji Yamazaki
Publication date
2016/2
Journal
European Journal of Wildlife Research
Volume
62
Pages
23-31
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Description
Measures of δ13C and δ15N in tissues of Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus) can be useful in helping researchers identify nuisance bears and in determining whether a specific bear might be consuming anthropogenic food such as garbage and corn. However, the δ13C and δ15N values of native foods vary across the bear’s range. The purposes of this study were to characterize the stable isotope ratios of bear tissues and potential non-anthropogenic food items and compare that characterization to other studies and an independent analysis of bear food habits. We collected hair from bears in the Ashio–Nikko Mountains (ANM) that, based on capture location and radiotelemetry data, were consuming non-anthropogenic food. We found that the δ13C ratios of bear hair from the ANM were significantly higher than those of bears sampled in another area in central Japan where bears were also eating native …
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