4.5. Bedding sites
We found 26 bedding sites for Malayan sun bears.
We sighted radioed bears using 17 of these bedding
sites. Other bedding sites were determined from
tracking radioed bears on foot and from radio signals
transmitted from a hollowed log or cavity from close
distance (<5 m). Bedding sites consisted of twelve
cavities of hollowed-fallen logs (46%) (Table 4). They
were either naturally fell, or felled during logging operations,
but apparently discarded due to their hollow
trunk. They usually had two entrances, one bigger
entrance at the base of the tree and one smaller at the
far end of the log. These logs were from large sized
trees with diameter >100 cm. (Table 4). The family and
species of these tree logs were usually unidentifiable
due to the decayed condition. However, based on their
large size and being purposely felled, we suspected that
many of the logs were Dipterocarpaceae. Like in the
standing tree cavities, the floor of hollowed-fallen logs
was dry, soft, and sometimes a depression with 80 cm
in diameter.
Five beds (19%) were in a cavity inside the main trunk
of a standing tree. We sighted radioed bears using all of
the four standing tree cavities (Table 5) as bedding sites
for >2 h. We found the skeleton and radio-collar of Bear
#123 in a tree cavity. Bear #123 was suspected of dying
from old age and malnutrition (Wong, 2002). Some
entrances of these cavities were cracks on the main tree
trunk with relatively narrow width. Others were tunnelshaped,
up to 170 cm deep cavity from the trees buttress.
The floor space of these bedding sites was roomy
for a bear (Table 5), but the bear usually rested in a
corner of the cavity. The floor of these cavities was
matted with a thick layer of woody debris from the wall
the tree trunk and was dry and soft. We found no evidence
of bears carrying bedding materials into these
bedding sites. The majority tree species of this type of
bedding site were Dipterocarpaceae. Two beds (8%)
were dirt holes under a tree where parts of the root
system were exposed either on flat ground or on steep
slopes.
Malayan sun bears also rested on tree branches, high
above the ground and exposed. We sighted Bear #122
การแปล กรุณารอสักครู่..
