Steury says the Mobile bear population’s growth rate is unknown at this time and that the population is continuous with bears in eastern Mississippi.

The research team put radio collars on a total of 20 bears in the two populations and received location information via the internet every hour for a year.

The location data was superimposed over Google Earth map images so the locations of individual bears could be mapped. He also used a phone app that would let him monitor the locations and even remotely remove the collar if it got too tight or began rubbing the bear.

“Male bears roam widely,” Steury said. “At two years old, they leave their mother and find a new place to live. Females settle close to the mother bear and expand their range slowly, thus the area occupied by the breeding population is slow to expand. A lot of females don’t cross roads or power line right-of-ways. Males will cross them as well as rivers.”

He says bears in the South are active in the winter, too, because they don’t really hibernate, but will take what could be considered long naps at times. They will build nests on the ground that resemble a bird’s nest.