Bear, Black

Physical Features

The Black Bear is North America's smallest and most common species of bear. They have a light grey skin that is covered by a black or brown shaggy fur, which occasionally is a much lighter blonde color. They have a long brown muzzle, round ears with small brown eyes that are originally blue at birth. Males are larger than females and their average body length is 4 to 7 feet from nose to tail. They have a vast range in weight with the average weight of males being 125 to 500 pounds while that of the female ranges between 90 to 300 pounds. Black Bears are able to see in color and they have good close-up vision, while their hearing and sense of smell is excellent and they have large brains relative to their body size, which makes them one of the more intelligent mammals. The Black Bear is smaller than the Grizzly Bear, with a smaller shoulder hump, smaller, tightly curved claws and longer tapered ears that are smoother than that of the Grizzly.

Habitat

Black Bears like large forests and mothers with cubs climb and seek out large trees with furrowed barks that offer them safe sleeping sites. It is common to find Black Bears on lowlands and wetlands where they enjoy the juicy vegetation while streams and woodland pools provide them with water for drinking and cooling. The American Black Bear is only found in North America. Their estimated population is 750,000. They are found in forests as far south as Florida and northern Mexico and as far north as Alaska and Canada.

Diet

Black Bears are opportunistic eaters and have a very varied duet. Their main diet consists of grasses, roots, berries, nuts, acorns, fruits and insects, but they will also eat fish and mammals—including carrion. Black Bears do become habituated to human food and garbage and they can pose a threat to human's safety.

Meat

The meat of the Black Bear is considered to have a very savory taste and is very similar to pork. The favored cuts of their meat are from the legs and loins while meat from the neck, front legs and shoulders are preferred for use in casseroles and stews or are ideal for mincing. Cooking the meat with the fat on gives the meat a much stronger flavor. Black Bears can have trichinellosis, so it is advisable to use high temperatures and to cook the meat properly in order to kill any parasites. In the past Black Bear fat was commonly used in cosmetics, but animal rights activists have intervened in this practice.

Behavior

Black Bears are generally solitary animals but come together for breeding. During the winter they spend the season dormant in their dens and use up stored body fat to survive. Their dens are usually made in caves, burrows, brush piles or in tree holes high above the ground. The mating season of the Black Bear is usually from late May to early July, but can extend up to August. Females undergo delayed implantation and following a gestation period of 7 months she gives birth to a litter of 1 -3 cubs, but litters of up to 6 cubs do occur. At birth the cubs weight between 1/2 to 1 pound. Cubs usually stay with their mother for anything between 17 to 29 months, but before she is ready to mate again she forces them to stop traveling with her. The typical birth interval between litters is 2 years, but during periods of food scarcity can prolong up to 4 years. The young reach maturity at 3 years of age, but reproduction is dependent on food supply. They have a life span of 21-33 years provided they are not hunted down before then. Black Bears are comfortable in known to be good swimmers. Television and movies misrepresent bears since they are actually rather quiet animals but are represented as fierce, loud, growling animals on telly. Black Bears make a variety of amiable grunting sounds to express a range of emotions, but when frightened they make loud blowing sounds and they clack their teeth.

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