Brown bears (Ursus arctos) are generally solitary animals, although they are known to aggregate at concentrated food resources. Using remote cameras, we documented brown bears aggregating while scavenging a whale carcass from 19 May to 17 September 2010 in Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska, USA. Such aggregations have not been reported in Glacier Bay, a recently deglaciated fjord where bear food resources are dispersed and less diverse than in other regions of coastal Alaska. We documented multiple brown bears and wolves (Canis lupus) scavenging the carcass—at times, simultaneously. This study provided a rare opportunity to document brown bear–wolf interactions over several months associated with a large-magnitude resource event with little evidence of aggression between species. Our results suggest that the humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) carcass provided a substantial food resource for brown bears and wolves in Glacier Bay, potentially influencing space use and interspecific interactions.
How to translate text using browser tools
1 May 2014
Brown bears and wolves scavenge humpback whale carcass in Alaska
Tania M. Lewis,
Diana J. R. Lafferty
ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE
Ursus
Vol. 25 • No. 1
May 2014
Vol. 25 • No. 1
May 2014
Alaska
brown bear
Canis lupus
feeding aggregations
Humpback Whale
Megaptera novaeangliae
scavenging