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15 February 2020 Litter size and cub age influence weight gain and development in American black bears (Ursus americanus)
J. Bernardo Mesa-Cruz, Colleen Olfenbuttel, Michael R. Vaughan, Jaime L. Sajecki, Marcella J. Kelly
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Abstract

We assessed the effects of cub age, litter size, and sex, on body mass (BM), absolute and relative growth rates (AGR, RGR), opening of ears and eyes, and deciduous teeth eruption from 129 cubs of American black bears (Ursus americanus) born at Virginia Tech's Black Bear Research Center. Specific ages, related to maternal food consumption, and litter size, best described BM, AGR, RGR, and ear and eye development. Overall, newborns weighed ∼0.44 kg at birth and increased ∼9-fold by ∼14 weeks. Twins were greater in BM than single cubs and triplets. Single and triplet cubs had higher AGR and RGR than twins after mothers resumed food consumption post-hibernation. Newborns displayed RGR > 3.5% that decreased until den emergence (RGR < 3.5% after emergence). RGR differed among litter sizes, particularly after den emergence. Ear and eye opening occurred concurrently at ∼44 days of age, while teeth erupted ∼10 days later. Single cubs experienced delayed development of these organs compared to other litter sizes. Postnatal developmental differences between black bears and other carnivores likely stem from strategies allowing black bears to minimize energy expenditure during the gestational period when hibernating.

© 2020 American Society of Mammalogists, www.mammalogy.org
J. Bernardo Mesa-Cruz, Colleen Olfenbuttel, Michael R. Vaughan, Jaime L. Sajecki, and Marcella J. Kelly "Litter size and cub age influence weight gain and development in American black bears (Ursus americanus)," Journal of Mammalogy 101(2), 564-573, (15 February 2020). https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyaa009
Received: 29 March 2019; Accepted: 18 January 2020; Published: 15 February 2020
KEYWORDS
American black bear
body mass
growth rates
litter size
neonatal development
Ursus americanus
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