The information on animal weight is often an essential component of wildlife management and research. However, it may be difficult to obtain direct scale weights from the free-ranging large animals when equipment needed to weigh the animals are inadequate or unavailable. In these cases, body weight can be estimated by morphometric equation. We investigated body mass and size (16 body parts) of reintroduced Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus; ABB) and their offsprings (28 males and 24 females, age 7 months − 12 years) between 2005 and 2013. Mean body weight of adult females and males in September − December were 132.2 ± 11.8 and 166.6 ± 7.2 kg, respectively, which was higher than those in April − August (103.8 ± 5.6 and 141.7 ± 6.3 kg, respectively). We developed three predictive equations for body mass by pad width and season that can utilize the footprint size before capturing. In addition, we also developed eleven multiple regression models to predict body mass through body part measurements after capturing, and selected two best models including neck girth, chest girth, body length, season, and sex. This study is the first to develop predictive equations for body mass by simple measurements of body parts in ABB. This data will not only help to understand the relationship between the weight and body size of reintroduced bears, but by estimating the weight without a scale, it will help to make the task easier and faster and to determine the appropriate anesthetic dose in the field.

有关动物体重的信息通常是野生动物管理和研究的重要组成部分。然而，当称重动物所需的设备不足或不可用时，可能很难从自由放养的大型动物身上直接获得秤重。在这些情况下，体重可以通过形态测量方程来估计。我们调查了重新引入的亚洲黑熊（Ursus thibetanus）的体重和大小（16 个身体部位）; ABB）及其后代（28 男 24 女，年龄 7 个月 - 12 岁）在 2005 年和 2013 年之间。9 - 12 月成年雌性和雄性的平均体重分别为 132.2±11.8 和 166.6±7.2 kg，即高于 4-8 月（分别为 103.8±5.6 和 141.7±6.3 公斤）。我们开发了三个按垫宽和季节划分的体重预测方程，可以在捕获前利用足迹大小。此外，我们还开发了 11 个多元回归模型，通过捕获后的身体部位测量来预测体重，并选择了两个最佳模型，包括颈围、胸围、体长、季节和性别。这项研究是首次在 ABB 中通过对身体部位的简单测量来开发体重预测方程。