Diel and monthly activity pattern of brown bears and sika deer in the Shiretoko Peninsula, Hokkaido, Japan

Brown bears and sika deer on Japan's Shiretoko Peninsula exhibit distinct diel activity patterns influenced by seasonal behaviors, reproductive motivations, and environmental factors. Unlike European brown bears, those in Shiretoko show a diurnal/crepuscular pattern, with increased activity during autumnal hyperphagia, particularly among adult females and sub-adults. Protected areas further enhance diurnality, suggesting human activities and competitive interactions play significant roles. Sika deer, meanwhile, maintain a crepuscular pattern with minimal variation across months or sex-age classes, though male activity peaks during the autumn copulation period. The study employed camera-trap surveys over five months in 2019, capturing 7,530 observations to analyze these patterns, offering critical insights for wildlife conservation and management.

KAWAMURA, K., JIMBO, M., ADACHI, K., SHIRANE, Y., NAKANISHI, M., UMEMURA, Y., ISHINAZAKA, T., UNO, H., SASHIKA, M., TSUBOTA, T., & SHIMOZURU, M. (2022). Diel and monthly activity pattern of brown bears and sika deer in the Shiretoko Peninsula, Hokkaido, Japan. Journal of Veterinary Medical Science, 84(8), 1146–1156. https://doi.org/10.1292/jvms.21-0665