Abstract
To monitor the reproductive status of an endangered Asian black bear population in Shikoku, we investigated the pedigree structure of 13 individuals that were captured between 2005 and 2017. Using 19 microsatellite markers for paternity testing, we identified four mother-offspring pairs and five father-offspring pairs. The results suggest that only a few males participated in reproduction. Pedigree analysis indicated that all of the reproductive males identified in this study were siblings. The allelic richness of the Shikoku bear population was lower than those of other local populations. The observed heterozygosity was significantly greater than the expected heterozygosity in the Shikoku population, suggesting a very small number of breeding individuals. The size of this population, based on pedigree data and estimated by the method of Creel and Rosenblatt, came to 16-24 individuals.
