Behavior of brown bears (Ursus arctos) in captivity during mating season

From 1991 to 1992, we observed behavior of 7 brown bears (5 females, 2 males) in mating season. Results showed that the oestrus of brown bears was mainly from May to July. The oestrus of most individuals occurred at the end of May and the beginning of June. There were some differences in the oestrus among individuals. Average duration of the oestrus was 30.8 days (16–50 days). The mating behavior was mainly observed during 8.00–9.00 a.m., and 15.00–16.00 p.m., Rest and sleep were the next behavior after mating for most bears, especially for male bears. All bears had poor appetite. The pattern and process of a successful mating was that a male bear approached a female, smelled the pudendum of the female, climbed on female hip, mated, parted and rested. Oestrus females approached males sometimes. (Responsible Editor: Sun Yueqi)