Litter size and basic diet of brown bears (Ursus arctos, Carnivora) in northeastern Turkey

Brown bears (Ursus arctos) are the largest among terrestrial mammals and are at the center of most human-wildlife conflicts, but there has been little ecological research on the species in Turkey. The aim of this study was to document the litter size and diet of brown bears in the province of Artvin. Observations of brown bears were conducted from 2004 to 2012, with a total observation time of 588 h. A total of 72 scats were collected and analyzed. Most bears (43.6%) were spotted during the mating season in late May and early June. The average litter size was 1.67 (n = 39), and the average number of yearlings was 1.19 (n = 27). The average survival of cubs-of-the-year to the succeeding year was 0.71. The bears' diet consisted mainly of herbaceous plants (87.5%). The average litter size observed was among the smallest, and the diet was among the most herbivorous documented in brown bear populations in the world. Monitoring and revealing the basic ecological parameters of the brown bears in Turkey may provide baseline data for the effective management and conservation of brown bear populations in southwest Asia.