Photos provide information on age, but not kinship, of Andean bear
Using photos of captive Andean bears of known age and pedigree, and photos of wild Andean bear cubs <6 months old, we evaluated the degree to which visual information may be used to estimate bears’ ages and assess their kinship. We demonstrate that the ages of Andean bear cubs ≤6 months old may b...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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PeerJ Inc.
2015-07-01
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| Series: | PeerJ |
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| Online Access: | https://peerj.com/articles/1042.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797419229952081920 |
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| author | Russell C. Van Horn Becky Zug Robyn D. Appleton Ximena Velez-Liendo Susanna Paisley Corrin LaCombe |
| author_facet | Russell C. Van Horn Becky Zug Robyn D. Appleton Ximena Velez-Liendo Susanna Paisley Corrin LaCombe |
| author_sort | Russell C. Van Horn |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Using photos of captive Andean bears of known age and pedigree, and photos of wild Andean bear cubs <6 months old, we evaluated the degree to which visual information may be used to estimate bears’ ages and assess their kinship. We demonstrate that the ages of Andean bear cubs ≤6 months old may be estimated from their size relative to their mothers with an average error of <0.01 ± 13.2 days (SD; n = 14), and that ages of adults ≥10 years old may be estimated from the proportion of their nose that is pink with an average error of <0.01 ± 3.5 years (n = 41). We also show that similarity among the bears’ natural markings, as perceived by humans, is not associated with pedigree kinship among the bears (R2 < 0.001, N = 1,043, p = 0.499). Thus, researchers may use photos of wild Andean bears to estimate the ages of young cubs and older adults, but not to infer their kinship. Given that camera trap photos are one of the most readily available sources of information on large cryptic mammals, we suggest that similar methods be tested for use in other poorly understood species. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:45:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-826de513111845f3ba3f8a84095156c6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:45:23Z |
| publishDate | 2015-07-01 |
| publisher | PeerJ Inc. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PeerJ |
| spelling | doaj.art-826de513111845f3ba3f8a84095156c62023-12-03T10:37:53ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592015-07-013e104210.7717/peerj.1042Photos provide information on age, but not kinship, of Andean bearRussell C. Van Horn0Becky Zug1Robyn D. Appleton2Ximena Velez-Liendo3Susanna Paisley4Corrin LaCombe5Institute for Conservation Research, San Diego Zoo Global, San Diego, CA, USANelson Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin–Madison, WI, USADepartment of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, BC, CanadaCentro de Biodiversidad y Genética, Universidad Mayor de San Simon, Cochabamba, BoliviaDurrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, UKInstitute for Conservation Research, San Diego Zoo Global, San Diego, CA, USAUsing photos of captive Andean bears of known age and pedigree, and photos of wild Andean bear cubs <6 months old, we evaluated the degree to which visual information may be used to estimate bears’ ages and assess their kinship. We demonstrate that the ages of Andean bear cubs ≤6 months old may be estimated from their size relative to their mothers with an average error of <0.01 ± 13.2 days (SD; n = 14), and that ages of adults ≥10 years old may be estimated from the proportion of their nose that is pink with an average error of <0.01 ± 3.5 years (n = 41). We also show that similarity among the bears’ natural markings, as perceived by humans, is not associated with pedigree kinship among the bears (R2 < 0.001, N = 1,043, p = 0.499). Thus, researchers may use photos of wild Andean bears to estimate the ages of young cubs and older adults, but not to infer their kinship. Given that camera trap photos are one of the most readily available sources of information on large cryptic mammals, we suggest that similar methods be tested for use in other poorly understood species.https://peerj.com/articles/1042.pdfTremarctos ornatusAndean bearAge estimationCamera trapsNatural markingsKinship |
| spellingShingle | Russell C. Van Horn Becky Zug Robyn D. Appleton Ximena Velez-Liendo Susanna Paisley Corrin LaCombe Photos provide information on age, but not kinship, of Andean bear PeerJ Tremarctos ornatus Andean bear Age estimation Camera traps Natural markings Kinship |
| title | Photos provide information on age, but not kinship, of Andean bear |
| title_full | Photos provide information on age, but not kinship, of Andean bear |
| title_fullStr | Photos provide information on age, but not kinship, of Andean bear |
| title_full_unstemmed | Photos provide information on age, but not kinship, of Andean bear |
| title_short | Photos provide information on age, but not kinship, of Andean bear |
| title_sort | photos provide information on age but not kinship of andean bear |
| topic | Tremarctos ornatus Andean bear Age estimation Camera traps Natural markings Kinship |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/1042.pdf |
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