Food Habits of Black Bears in Interior Alaska

Abstract

Black bears in the interior of Alaska, emerging from winter dens in early May, spend much of the first three months of their annual activity season in riverbottom and other lowland situations where the shoots and new leaves of green vegetation, especially Equisetum spp.compose the bulk of their diet.From the last half of July until mid-September, bears are observed most commonly in alpine areas where fruits, especially Vaccinium uliginosum, are heavily used.Animal food, constituting less than 15 per cent of the annual diet, is apparently taken whenever it is obtainable, and is frequently carrion.Many animal food occurrences involve colonial insects.Due to characteristics of bear feeding and digestion, scat analysis appears quite reliable for frequency of occurrence data and is probably suitable for most basic food habits determinations.For studies in which emphasis is to be placed on the animal foods of bears, a series of stomachs may also be needed to insure proper interpretation of results.