We investigated the food habits of Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus) in Oze National Park, Japan, and analyzed the abundance and nutritional content of skunk cabbage (Lysichiton camtschatcense) to evaluate the quality of moorland habitat for foraging bears. Analysis of 141 scats collected from August 2005 to September 2009 revealed that spadices of skunk cabbage were important food items in summer when other foods for bears are scarce. Skunk cabbage is a valuable food resource for Asiatic black bears in terms of nutrition, predictability, quantity, and availability, but it also has several negative features. Moorland that provides high quantities of this food resource appear to be important habitat for Asiatic black bears around Oze National Park. In the conservation and management of Oze National Park, skunk cabbage populations and field signs of bears should be monitored.
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1 December 2013
Summer Food Habits of the Asiatic Black Bears in Moor of Oze Area, Central Japan
Yukihiko Hashimoto,
Tomohito Anrui
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Mammal Study
Vol. 38 • No. 4
December 2013
Vol. 38 • No. 4
December 2013
food habits
Oze National Park
predictability
skunk cabbage
Ursus thibetanus.