Proximity-sensors on GPS collars reveal fine-scale predator-prey behavior during a predation event: A case study from Scandinavia

Although the advent of high-resolution GPS tracking technology has helped increase our understanding of individual and multi-species behavior in wildlife systems, detecting and recording direct interactions between free-ranging animals remains difficult. In 2023, we deployed GPS collars equipped with proximity sensors (GPS proximity collars) on brown bears (Ursus arctos) and moose (Alces alces) as part of a multi-species interaction study in central Sweden. On 6 June, 2023, a collar on an adult female moose and a collar on an adult male bear triggered on each other’s UHF signal and started collecting fine-scale GPS positioning data. The moose collar collected positions every 2 minutes for 89 minutes and the bear collar collected positions every 1 minute for 41 minutes. On 8 June, field personnel visited the site and found a female neonate moose carcass with clear indications of bear bite marks on the head and neck. During the predation event, the bear remained at the carcass while the m...

尽管高分辨率GPS追踪技术的问世助力我们深化了对野生动物系统内单个物种乃至多物种行为的认知，但对自由活动野生动物间的直接互动进行检测与记录仍存在较大难度。2023年，我们在瑞典中部开展一项多物种互动研究，为此为棕熊（Ursus arctos）与驼鹿（Alces alces）部署了搭载近距离传感器（proximity sensor）的GPS项圈（GPS proximity collars）。2023年6月6日，一只成年雌性驼鹿的项圈与一只成年雄性棕熊的项圈相互触发了对方的超高频（UHF）信号，并开始采集精细化GPS定位数据。其中驼鹿项圈每2分钟采集一次定位信息，持续时长89分钟；棕熊项圈每1分钟采集一次，持续时长41分钟。6月8日，野外工作人员前往该地点，发现一具雌性新生驼鹿的尸体，其头部与颈部带有清晰的熊类咬痕。在此次捕食事件中，棕熊始终留在尸体旁，而驼[原文内容未完整呈现]