After several decades studying bears at the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, a team of biologists led by Bill Leacock has concluded that singleness has become fashionable among brown bears in recent years . "We are detecting fewer family groups than ever, " says Leacock ?. "If it is a long-term trend or not is something that we still do not know," he points out.
Based on aerial and ground-level observations, the researchers have detected a clear increase in the number of bears living alone. Between 1985 and 2005 it was 47%, and since then it has risen to 69-85%. In addition, these animals are more dispersed than before, with only 250 individuals per 1000 kilometers , half the number a decade ago. Leacock suspects that the effects of climate change on the seasons, which cause among other things the late arrival of spring, could be contributing to these alterations in the behavior of these mammals, reducing their mating.
