Caching Behavior of Brown Bears (Ursus arctos)

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Abstract
Caching and complete covering of prey carcasses by the brown bear (Ursus arctos) is known from a wide area of its distribution and was first recorded from Norway in 1599. Examination of 16 sites of cached sheep in south-central Norway showed no preference for topography, soil, forest type, or plant community. In one instance a sheep was cached under water in a small brook. In some cases two or more sheep were cached at the same site, associated with the killing of 10 sheep in a restricted area. Some caching sites were circular, some oval, and some irregular in shape, and varied in size from 3.5 to 75 m2 (X̄ = 43 m2). Volumes of scraped material were calculated to 0.5–1.5 m3, but some piles may have been even larger. Numerous bear scats at the caching sites and the presence of beds nearby indicated that bears resided near the sites for a considerable time. The combined guarding and caching behavior may be explained by the slow consumption of prey by bears and their intake of considerable plant material while foraging on a carcass. The adaptative significance of caching in the brown bear may be to reduce decomposition and to hide the carcass from competitors.

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