Despite their changing habitats, the grizzly bears in Yellowstone Park have sufficient oil reserves. In this respect informs United States Geological Survey.
In recent years, the number of white pine seedlings, as well as trout and deer populations, has declined in Yellowstone Park. While these foods played an important role in the diet of grizzly bears, their populations increased during the same period. This can lead to food shortages for grizzly bears, which does not allow them to accumulate sufficient reserves of fat for wintering.
Andrea Corradini and her colleagues set out to find out if grizzly bears were actually getting less fat. To do this, they analyzed the body measurements of bears caught between 1975 and 2020. It turned out that the increase in population density of these animals actually reduced their average weight minus their fat. However, average body fat mass remained unchanged over the study period. In addition, decreased lean mass is primarily characteristic of younger women, but usually reaches a normal level in adulthood.
The authors conclude that the lack of food powers requires adapting and changing nutritional tactics to approach winter with the necessary body fat. In addition, omnivorousness helps these animals, thanks to which it is possible to get the necessary calories by changing the diet. In this way, brown bears have been able to adapt to changing climates and habitats.
Source: Gazeta
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