Abstract
In the Shiretoko World Heritage Area, brown bears have dug for cicada nymphs since 2000. We present some observations on this novel interaction between brown bears and cicada. We found brown bears extremely biased to dig in larch plantations where cicada nymphs occurred at the highest density of the representative forest types. Our camera traps also revealed that female bears with cubs frequently visited and dug in the larch plantations. This finding suggests the number of brown bears that dig for cicada nymphs will probably increase via social learning from mother bear to cubs. Consequently, the ecological effects of bioturbation by digging may also increase. Photo credit: Tsutom Hiura. Photo credit: Shiretoko Nature Foundation. Photo credit: Tsutom Hiura. Photo credit: Shiretoko Nature Foundation. Photo credit: Kanji Tomita. These photographs illustrate the article “Brown bear digging for cicada nymphs: a novel interaction in a forest ecosystem” by Kanji Tomita and Tsutom Hiura published in Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2899
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