According to the authors of a new study, wild bears become friendlier and less aggressive, especially when they live near humans. Scientists found this in the Apennine brown bear, which lives in central Italy. This population separated from other European brown bears two to three thousand years ago. Since Roman times, this population has remained completely isolated.
The authors of a study published in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution show that the endangered population has undergone significant changes caused by human activity. Researchers found that Apennine brown bears compared to European, North American and Asian brown bear populations smaller body dimensions and specific features of the head and face. At the same time, they developed a calmer and less aggressive behavior.
“We show that Apennine brown bears carry selection markers in genes associated with reduced aggression,” said the study’s lead author Andrea Benazzo from the University of Ferrara. According to scientists, it is likely that people in the past killed the more aggressive individuals, while the calmer bears survived, reproduced and passed on their genes to the next generations.
According to the study, only about 50 individuals of this subspecies remain in nature today. “One of the main causes of decline and isolation was probably deforestation associated with agricultural expansion and human population growth in central Italy,” Benazzo said.
