Norse brown bear mother are concur on to their cubs longer than ever before , and it ’s not just because they ’re adorably fluffy and cuddly . ferment out , it ’s an adapted strategy that could also be a major survival vantage , and it may be due to humans .
As in many other countries , it is illegal in Sweden to pop a mother bear who has a sonny . Now , research worker indicate these brown bears are adapting to human hunting behaviors by staying with their cub longer .
" by and large , the cubs have followed their female parent for a class and a half , " say Professor Jon Swenson from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences ( NMBU ) in astatement . " Only seldom have we follow them follow her for two and a half years . "
Now , it looks like that 2.5 - class timeframe is on its elbow room to being the norm . Between 1987 and 2015 , scientists trace 164 litters from 62 dissimilar females . Since 1993 , almost 25 percentage of cubs are staying with mum for that extra year . During the hunt time of year , distaff brown bears with young have a survival vantage over those who do n’t . The long females are with their cubs , the more time they ward off being killed – the odds of being kill is almost four time higher for solitary females , compare to adult females with cub .
Human behavior , in the physique of hunt , may be affecting the direction Scandinavian brown bears reproduce too . " Man is now an evolutionary force in the lives of the bear , " said Swenson .
If mums are spending more fourth dimension with their cubs then they have less fourth dimension to reproduce , reducing the overall amount of young they will have throughout their lives . " In an evolutionary position , this would not be beneficial , " say Swenson . " The animate being with the most offspring " win " nature ’s subspecies . "
But the research shows the increased life story expectancy find in females counteracts the reduced birthing pace . If this behaviour is turn over down to other propagation , researchers say it could head to an organic evolution within the population .
Published inNature Communications , the study was done in connective with theScandinavian Brown Bear Project . Since 1984 , the project has been following brown bears and is one of the world ’s two big enquiry task on bears , accord to Swenson , who has been with the program nearly as long as it ’s been around .
“ We have followed over five hundred bears , many from parentage to destruction , ” he said .
During this time , the number of hunted bears in Sweden has increased steadily . Between 2010 and 2014 , scientist say hunters shot about 300 bear annually .
browned bears first arrived in Sweden after the last Ice Age , about 10,000 - 14,000 year ago . Although universe numbers currently are around 2,800 - 3,000 , the Swedish government reintroduced hunt in 2010 to keep the numbers under control . In 2015 , the Swedish Species Information Centre re - list the bear as " menace " on itsRed tilt , mainly due to hunting .
