Under these circumstances, a research group at Yamagata University has found that extreme cold waves (abnormally heavy snowfall), an example of extreme weather, affect the wintering behavior of native mammals (seven species of wild boars, monkeys, foxes, martens, hares, raccoon dogs, and serows) during wintering. We decided to evaluate the impact on From 7 to 2015, including years of heavy snowfall, we skied 2020km in the Towada, Asahi, and Iide mountains, some of the snowiest areas in the world, recorded the footprints of target species in the snow, and evaluated habitat use. did. The analysis used ecological niche analysis, a method for estimating the behavioral patterns of wild animals in forests.

　The main results are: (1) Wild boars, which have the most disadvantageous body shape for moving on snow, tend to gather in sunny, low-elevation areas, and when they are hit by extremely heavy snow, they tend to seek refuge in cedar plantations to overwinter. (2) Small-bodied mammals (martens, hares, monkeys) cannot significantly change the habitat they use even if they are hit by extremely heavy snow, and (3) Herbivorous mammals (antelopes that feed primarily on tree bark and winter buds) It has become clear that when extremely heavy snowfall occurs, most of the winter staple food for wild animals (hares, monkeys) is buried under snow, severely restricting the habitat they can use.

　The above results suggest that body size and diet (staple food in winter) may be factors that determine the tolerance of various mammals to extreme heavy snowfall. The results of this research were published in the international journal Frontiers in Zoology (to be published in February 2024) published by the German Zoological Society.

Paper information:【Frontiers in Zoology】Differences in spatial niches of terrestrial mammals when facing extreme snowfall: the case in east Asian forests