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Foraging plays a vital role in the survival of wildlife, and shifts in food availability can impact species fitness and survival. Ursids are known to consume a wide variety of foods and are known to be opportunistic omnivores. Consequently, seasonal shifts in diet, which correspond to temporal and spatial shifts in the availability of food resources, have long captivated researchers studying the foraging behavior of Ursidae. Nevertheless, comprehensive dietary studies encompassing both the population and individual levels remain scarce. In this study, we investigated the dietary patterns of Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus) at both the population and individual levels, using data collected through GPS collars and field surveys of individual bear scat samples in Nagano Prefecture, Japan, from 2016 to 2020. From early April to late June, bears mainly foraged on green vegetation. During this period, male and large‐bodied female bears showed a strong preference for green vegetation. Small‐bodied female bears also ate mostly green vegetation but tended to consume more fruit than other bears towards the end of this period. From June to October, bears' diets included a substantial amount of fruit, with notable peaks in fruit consumption in late June and early September. During the summer months, female bears often incorporated social insects into their diet compared to the population‐level trend. In mid‐September, the consumption of seeds from the Fagaceae family surged, becoming the primary dietary component during this period. This trend was consistently observed across the population. These findings underscore the importance conducting in‐depth dietary analyses that take into account individual characteristics such as sex, age, and body weight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although sleeping is essential for animals, little is known about the characteristics of Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) bed sites (resting sites). We studied bed-site selection of Asiatic black bears in the Central Alps, Japan, 2021–2022, by monitoring 12 GPS-collared bears and examining 56 bed sites. We assessed horizontal visibility, canopy openness, and dominant vegetation at both bed and control sites, accounting for season and time of day. Findings suggest bears prefer bed sites at the base of thick trees, such as Japanese red pines (Pinus densiflora) and Japanese larches (Larix kaempferi). Bed sites with low visibility were chosen during spring or autumn, corresponding with higher human activity, but not in summer. Proximity to foods, particularly in broad-leaved forests with abundant food such as buds, leaves, and acorn seeds, may influence bed-site selection during spring or autumn. Both sexes showed similar trends. This implies the interplay of safety and food access in Asiatic black bear bed-site selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We conducted a global positioning system (GPS) tracking of a male sika deer (Cervus nippon) and his mother in the eastern foothills of the northern Japanese Alps, central Japan. Sika deer exhibited similar seasonal movement patterns; however, the male deer left his natal group at 11 months of age. At 15 months of age, the male deer settled in the neighboring mountain, which was 74 km away from his natal range. This is the first record of long-distance (>50 km) natal dispersal of the sika deer. Our findings might help to explain the expanding distribution of the sika deer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]