Quantcast
ZME Science
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    Menu
    Natural Sciences
    Health
    History & Humanities
    Space & Astronomy
    Technology
    Culture
    Resources
    Natural Sciences

    Physics

    • Matter and Energy
    • Quantum Mechanics
    • Thermodynamics

    Chemistry

    • Periodic Table
    • Applied Chemistry
    • Materials
    • Physical Chemistry

    Biology

    • Anatomy
    • Biochemistry
    • Ecology
    • Genetics
    • Microbiology
    • Plants and Fungi

    Geology and Paleontology

    • Planet Earth
    • Earth Dynamics
    • Rocks and Minerals
    • Volcanoes
    • Dinosaurs
    • Fossils

    Animals

    • Mammals
    • Birds
    • Fish
    • Reptiles
    • Amphibians
    • Invertebrates
    • Pets
    • Conservation
    • Animals Facts

    Climate and Weather

    • Climate Change
    • Weather and Atmosphere

    Geography

    Mathematics

    Health
    • Drugs
    • Diseases and Conditions
    • Human Body
    • Mind and Brain
    • Food and Nutrition
    • Wellness
    History & Humanities
    • Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Economics
    • History
    • People
    • Sociology
    Space & Astronomy
    • The Solar System
    • The Sun
    • The Moon
    • Planets
    • Asteroids, Meteors and Comets
    • Astronomy
    • Astrophysics
    • Cosmology
    • Exoplanets and Alien Life
    • Spaceflight and Exploration
    Technology
    • Computer Science & IT
    • Engineering
    • Inventions
    • Sustainability
    • Renewable Energy
    • Green Living
    Culture
    • Culture and Society
    • Bizarre Stories
    • Lifestyle
    • Art and Music
    • Gaming
    • Books
    • Movies and Shows
    Resources
    • How To
    • Science Careers
    • Metascience
    • Fringe Science
    • Science Experiments
    • School and Study
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Environment → Animals

Mother bears now use humans as shields to protect their cub

It's amazing to see how the bears can sense human patterns and use us. It's actually refreshing for a change.

Tibi Puiu by Tibi Puiu
June 22, 2016
in Animals, News

Brown bear
Credit: Pixabay

That humans pervade just about every ecosystem on Earth is no surprise anymore, but how some animals adapt to our presence can be truly astonishing. A new study, for instance, shows that mama bears are now living very close to human settlements during the mating season to protect their cubs from male bears, effectively using the human communities as shields.

Sam Steyaert of the Norwegian University of Life Sciences and colleagues tracked 26 brown bear mothers with GPS between 2005 and 2012 as these raised cubs in the Swedish forest. These mothers are some of the most stressed in the world, constantly having to look over their shoulders for males who want to kill the cubs and mate with the females.

A male in the fury of the mating season can trigger oestrus (sexual receptivity) by killing a mother’s cubs. In a matter of days after killing the cubs, the male can mate with the female instead of waiting up to two years — the time it takes for a mother to rear her cubs to independence.

The researchers found only 16 mothers out of 26 managed to raise their cubs. However, a distinct pattern emerged which suggests mothers were most successful in protecting and raising their cubs when they lived close to humans.

“The median distance of successful females to human habitation was about 780 metres (2,500 feet),” Steyaert said, and the median distance for unsuccessful females was nearly twice as large, at 1,2100 meters.

This is a very striking behaviour because the mothers have all the reasons to avoid human communities, especially those occupied by hunters. They do actually, and “after the mating season, females with cubs change their behaviour and go back to avoiding humans, who hunt bears in the forest during a designated season,”  Steyaert said. It’s still amazing to see how the bears can sense human patterns and use us. It’s actually refreshing for a change.
The findings appeared in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 

Was this helpful?


Thanks for your feedback!

Related posts:
  1. Snow leopard mother and cub den caught for first time on tape [VIDEOS]
  2. Water bears, the amazing animals that can survive in outer space, have a unique adaptation that shields DNA from radiation
  3. Polar bears interbred with brown bears during warmer climate
  4. Giant Panda Cub Plays in the Snow for the Very First Time
  5. Climate change is breeding ‘pizzly’ bears — hybrids between polar bears and grizzlies
Tags: brown bear

ADVERTISEMENT
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
  • Reviews
  • More
  • About Us

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

Don’t you want to get smarter every day?

YES, sign me up!

Over 35,000 subscribers can’t be wrong. Don’t worry, we never spam. By signing up you agree to our privacy policy.

✕
ZME Science News

FREE
VIEW