An international team, with the participation of the National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN-CSIC), found out. Brown bears (Ursus arctos) are capable of 'lying'. 164 specimens were monitored in the Cantabrian mountain range through 117,000 hours of phototrapping recordings. So they discovered bears that pretend to be bigger than they are. The results are in the Journal of Mammalogy.
Seven of the bears observed did so. They manipulated the signals they use to communicate in order to appear larger than their actual size allowed. It is the first time it has been documented in bears. Animal communication is based on signals that transmit reliable information. They indicate the identity, sex, age or competitive ability of an individual.
Faking brands
In the case of the brown bear, the height at which they deposit visual and scent marks is an indicator of body size. And, therefore, its strength or dominant role. It is a type of information that was believed could not be falsified. But 5% of the more than 100 specimens observed did.
To investigate this behavior, the team monitored 164 different bears. They were recorded at 14 marking points in the Cantabrian mountain range between 2021 and 2024. Platforms were installed next to trees and posts commonly used for marking. They then analyzed more than 117,000 hours of recording obtained. Bears that pretend to be larger made exaggerated markings. They used the platforms or climbed to leave chemical (smell that they give off when rubbing) and visual signals higher than their actual height allowed.
Brown bears usually leave their marks at the maximum height they can reach when standing on their hind legs. About two meters high. But the researchers observed a visual signal at three meters. It is an unattainable elevation for any specimen resting on the ground. The discovery of a broken branch just below the mark suggests that the animal climbed to make it.
Advantages
The strategy could provide advantages. By appearing larger, they could deter larger rivals. They reduce the probability of a direct confrontation, avoiding the cost that it may entail. Even increasing their reproductive opportunities. It is a strategy that is reminiscent of cases of deception described in other mammals, but which until now had never been documented in bears.
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