INTERNAL STRUCTURE OF HOME RANGES OF BLACK BEARS AND ANALYSES OF HOME-RANGE OVERLAP

Ursus americanus were radiotracked in the Pisgah Bear Sanctuary in the mountains of W North Carolina. Distributions of locations within home ranges were clumped but bears did not use specific areas for specific activities. Home ranges overlapped extensively, and even core areas (areas of high-intensity use) overlapped. Neighboring bears often used areas of overlap for the same activities and at the same time. The clumped or patchy use of areas within home ranges requires analyses that emphasize internal structure of home ranges and not merely outlines or total-area measures. -from Authors