Preliminary findings assessing the olfactory communication strategies of brown bears

This study reported of a relatively new area of study in bears (excepting the giant panda): olfactory communication. The authors found that brown bears selected the two tree species that were least represented in the landscape for marking and showed a slight preference for larger trees. Adult males were significantly more likely to mark than females or subadults, relative to their presence in the population. The authors concluded that assessing how olfactory communication plays a role in the social organisation of solitary carnivores will allow us understand the processes involved in territoriality, dispersal and reproduction, and better interpret the results of DNA surveys that use scent lures