The Ecology of Polar Bears on North Twin Island Northwest Territories
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers Graduate School 1973 The ecology of polar bears on North Twin Island Northwest Territories Brian Murray Knudsen The University of Montana Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Knudsen, Brian Murray, "The ecology of polar bears on North Twin Island Northwest Territories" (1973). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 6412. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/6412 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE ECOLOGY OF POLAR BEARS ON NORTH TWIN ISLAND, NORTHWEST TERRITORIES B y Brian M. Knuds en B. Sc. (Hons. ), University of Manitoba, 1969 Presented in partial fulfillm ent of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA 1973 Approved by: School / Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: EP37213 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will Indicate the deletion. UMT OiasMrtation UMI EP37213 Published by ProQuest LLO (2013). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLO. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code ProQ ^st' ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 -1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am particularly Indebted to Dr. John J. Craighead who taught me, during the years when I was his student, much more than is indicated in this thesis. My thanks also go to the other members of my advisory committee, Drs. L. Metzgar, D. Jenni, K. Fevold, and especially Dr. B. W. O'Gara, for their encouragement, assistance, and sound advice. Dr. Charles Jonkel, of the Canadian W ildlife Service, was my guardian angel during the term of this study and for several years earlier. For his help, his advice, and his friendship, I am most g ra te fu l. Fred Blackned, Tim Seastedt, Derek Craighead, Pete Husby, and Dick Russell helped with field work on North Twin Island. Without their hard work and good humor for months on end, this project could never have been conducted. Henk Kiliaan assisted in gathering and organizing equipment and Derek Craighead provided me with a photographic record of the p ro je c t. While in Fort George, Quebec, many people helped me. I extend special thanks to them and to the personnel of Fecteau Transport A e rie n . i i Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. The following agencies provided financial support; the Canadian W ildlife Service, the U. S. Bureau of Sport Fisheries and W ildlife, the Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit*, and the National Geographic Society. For their aid, I am especially grateful. Eric and Roberta Nelson provided extensive help during the preparation of the manuscript; my thanks to them for their advice and p atie n c e . Finally, I would like to thank two polar bears who proved to be good-natured at times when it really counted. Without their cooper ation this study might not have been completed. *The Bureau of Sport Fisheries and W ildlife, Montana Fish and Game Department, University of Montana, and the Wildlife Management Institute, Cooperating. i i i Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS P age ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...................................................................................... ü LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................. v i LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................. v ii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................. 1 I I . S T U D Y A R E A ................................................................................. 4 L o c a t i o n ...................................................................................... 4 C l i m a t e ............................................................................................. 4 T o p o g ra p h y ...................................................................................... 7 V e g e t a t io n.............................................. 9 F a u n a ............................................................................................. 10 Access to the island .................................................................. 12 Duration of Field Seasons on the Island .... 12 III. METHODS .............................................................................................. 13 Capturing and M arking ............................................................ 13 Observation ................................................................................ 16 Census Techniques................................................................... 18 IV. RESULTS .............................................................................................. 21 Arrival of Bears on North Twin Island ........................... 21 Annual Movements of North Twin Island Bears . 2 5 Activity Patterns.................................................................. 2 5 Food H a b its ................................................................................ 27 Dispersion of Bears on North Twin Island . 31 IV Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER Page V. DISCUSSION ........................................................................................ 40 Annual M ovem ents.................................................................. 40 Activity Patterns......................................................................... 41 D is p e r s io n ...................................................................................... 42 VI. SUMMARY ............................................................................................... 45 LITERATURE CITED . 47 APPENDIX I. KOLMOGOROV-SMIRNOV ANALYSIS OF ACTIVITY PATTERNS ............................................................................................. 49 II. MAPS SHOWING THE DISPERSION OF BEARS ON NORTH TWIN ISLAND ................................. 57 III. DISPERSION OF POLAR BEARS ALONG THE SOUTHWESTERN COAST OF HUDSON BAY . 67 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIST OF TABLES T a b le Page 1. Mean High and Low Temperatures for July in the James Bay A re a ................................................................ 7 2. Observations of Marked Bears on North Twin Island, Summer and Fall, 1970 .................................................................. 23 3. Abundance of Bears on Islands Adjacent to North Twin Island, 1 9 7 1 ......................................................... 24 4. Location of Initial Marking for Marked Bears Observed on North Twin Island, Summer and Fall, 1970 . 26 5. Time Devoted by Polar Bears to Certain Activities During Daylight, August and September, 1969 and 1970 ...................................................................................... 28 6. Measurement of the Dispersion of Bears on North Twin Island, 1970 and 1971, from Aerial Censuses . 33 VI Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIST OF FIGURES F ig u re P ag e 1. M ap of Lidson B a y ......................................................................... 5 2. M ap of im es B a y ........................................................................ 6 3. M ap of orth Twin Is la n d ............................................................ 8 4.Map M ap of North Twin Island, Showing Locations of Snares, 1970 14 5. Transects Flown over North Twin Island During Censuses in 1970 and 19 7 1 ........................................................ 20 6. Seasonal Increase in Numbers of Polar Bears on North Twin Island, 1971, as Determined by Aerial C ensus ................................................................................ 22 7. Map of North Twin Island, Showing Approximate Dispersion of Crowberries, 1971........................................ 30 8. R Values Resulting from Nearest Neighbor Analysis of the Dispersion of Polar Bears on North Twin Island in 1970 and 1 9 7 1 ............................................................ 34 9. c Values Resulting from Nearest Neighbor Analysis of the Dispersion of Polar Bears on North Twin Island in 1970 and 1 9 7 1 ............................................................ 35 10. Locations of all Bears Seen on North Twin Island During Aerial Censuses in 1970 37 11. Locations of