Resource‐Related Interactions Between Wolverines and Brown Bears in Scandinavia
6 affiliations
- 1Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Department of Ecology Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Riddarhyttan Sweden
- 2Department of Natural Sciences and Environmental Health University of South‐Eastern Norway Bø Norway
- 3Wildlife Institute Forest Research Institute of Baden‐Württemberg Freiburg im Breisgau Germany
- 4Area of Zoology, Department of Biodiversity and Environmental Management, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Sciences University of Léon Léon Spain
- 5Norwegian Institute for Nature Research Trondheim Norway
- 6Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Umeå Sweden
Abstract
Ongoing recovery of large carnivore species into their former ranges increases the occurrence of interactions among them. The recovering Scandinavian wolverine ( Gulo gulo ) population has recently expanded southwards and is increasingly overlapping with the core of the brown bear ( Ursus arctos ) range. Both species are facultative scavengers that feed on moose ( Alces alces ) carcasses, which are an important resource all year round for wolverines and seasonally for bears. Reliance on the same resource may lead to interactions. We monitored five GPS‐collared wolverines in central Sweden to investigate feeding sites with food remains and determine bear activity. In addition, we used motion‐triggered cameras to monitor wolverine and bear activity at three wolverine rendezvous sites (i.e., temporary sites where females keep cubs) and at a recently bear‐killed adult moose carcass. We found 115 wolverine feeding sites, of which 25 (22%) showed signs of bear activity. At 24 sites we found remains from adult moose carcasses, five presumably bear‐killed of which two were fresh (< 1 week). Based on GPS‐data, wolverines repeatedly used these recently bear‐killed moose for periods ranging from a few hours to multiple days. Bear activity was documented at two of the three presumed rendezvous sites used by a female wolverine with cubs. Camera data also documented repeated visits by at least three different wolverines at the presumed bear‐killed moose carcass, including visits short before and after bear activity at the site. Our results illustrate that wolverines and bears overlap and share food resources, potentially leading to direct and/or indirect interactions. These observations suggest that co‐occurrence between these two species create both feeding opportunities and potential risks for wolverines, which deserves further research.
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BibTeX
@article{heeres2026resourcerelated,
title = {{Resource‐Related Interactions Between Wolverines and Brown Bears in Scandinavia}},
author = {Rick W. Heeres and Jens Persson and Johanna Heeres and Andrés Ordiz and Jonas Kindberg and Malin Aronsson},
journal = {Ecology and Evolution},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1002/ece3.74553},
url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.74553},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Resource‐Related Interactions Between Wolverines and Brown Bears in Scandinavia
AU - Rick W. Heeres
AU - Jens Persson
AU - Johanna Heeres
AU - Andrés Ordiz
AU - Jonas Kindberg
AU - Malin Aronsson
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/30
JO - Ecology and Evolution
DO - 10.1002/ece3.74553
UR - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.74553
AB - Ongoing recovery of large carnivore species into their former ranges increases the occurrence of interactions among them. The recovering Scandinavian wolverine ( Gulo gulo ) population has recently expanded southwards and is increasingly overlapping with the core of the brown bear ( Ursus arctos ) range. Both species are facultative scavengers that feed on moose ( Alces alces ) carcasses, which are an important resource all year round for wolverines and seasonally for bears. Reliance on the same resource may lead to interactions. We monitored five GPS‐collared wolverines in central Sweden to investigate feeding sites with food remains and determine bear activity. In addition, we used motion‐triggered cameras to monitor wolverine and bear activity at three wolverine rendezvous sites (i.e., temporary sites where females keep cubs) and at a recently bear‐killed adult moose carcass. We found 115 wolverine feeding sites, of which 25 (22%) showed signs of bear activity. At 24 sites we found remains from adult moose carcasses, five presumably bear‐killed of which two were fresh (< 1 week). Based on GPS‐data, wolverines repeatedly used these recently bear‐killed moose for periods ranging from a few hours to multiple days. Bear activity was documented at two of the three presumed rendezvous sites used by a female wolverine with cubs. Camera data also documented repeated visits by at least three different wolverines at the presumed bear‐killed moose carcass, including visits short before and after bear activity at the site. Our results illustrate that wolverines and bears overlap and share food resources, potentially leading to direct and/or indirect interactions. These observations suggest that co‐occurrence between these two species create both feeding opportunities and potential risks for wolverines, which deserves further research.
SN - 2045-7758
SN - 2045-7758
ER -