Reference no: EM133814802

Question

"American Black bears exhibit a promiscuous mating system. Males seek out females over wide ranges and compete with other males for access (intrasexual selection). In one study looking at male black bear reproductive success (Costello et al. 2009), when conflicts occurred between males, the age, weight, and fighting experience of the males were key factors in determining a winner. However, because males had to travel long distances to find females, the percentages between younger and mature males reproductive success rates fluctuated. Males can also be observed guarding the female it has recently mated with exhibiting a first-male advantage. Mating typically occurs in the summer months and the resulting offspring are typically born in the winter months during hibernation. Females exhibit delayed implantation in the fall as they start to settle down for hibernation. During this period the female's body will assess itself and the fat stores it has accumulated. If it has enough, the embryo will implant and gestation will continue, if it does not, the embryo will be reabsorbed. Usually, a mother will produce between one and three cubs on average. This is directly related to the physiological and metabolic changes that take place.