Bear's Nail-Tracks
A tree of Fagus crenata, so-called "bear's nail-tracks," in a forest in Hokujo, Hakuba-mura, Nagano Prefecture, Japan (photographed on 3 May 2003). A lady stretched her arms in front of the tree plays a role of a measure. The verdure provides various colorations in a background mountain range. This forest is located near the new oviposition site of the salamander Hynobius hidamontanus.
A bear (Ursus thibetanus) climbs a tree of F. crenata to get the nuts. At that time, some bear's nail-tracks remain the surface layers of the tree. Since the present tree is growing up at the lips of the cliff, any bears would drop off to the bottom of the valley, if they fail to climb the tree.
Accompanied Research Collaborators: Masaichi Kakegawa, Fujio Kishi, Chiyuki Momose, Sayoko Murakami, Chieko Nagata, Yuko Saikawa, and an anonymous person (alphabetical order).
Copyright 2003 Masato Hasumi, Dr. Sci. All rights reserved.
| Top Page | | Japanese |