Internal Structure of Home Ranges of Black Bears and Analyses of Home-Range Overlap

Eight black bears (Ursus americanus) outfitted with motion-sensitive transmitter collars were radiotracked from May through December 1984 in the Pisgah Bear Sanctuary in the mountains of western North Carolina. Activities and movement patterns within areas of overlap among neighboring bears were analyzed to determine whether neighbors exhibited spatial or temporal avoidance. The 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.