The
American Black Bear, scientifically known as ursus americanus, is one of the three bear species found only in North America. Their height is about 2-3 feet at shoulders with 4-7 feet from nose to the tip of the tail. Though they can walk on both hind legs, they are mostly found walking in all four paws. The black bear can live for up to 25 years in the wild. Bears around eastern areas generally have black fur, though some have light markings on their chests. Black bears on the western area, on the other hand, sometimes have brown fur. There are also black bears found in British Columbia, Canada with white-bluish fur known as Kermode bears.
Found only in North America, the American black bear is distributed throughout at least 40 states in the US, Canada, and Mexico. They can be found in the forested regions of both US and Canada while some inhabit the mountainous areas of Mexico. As population increases however, these black bears are slowly being restricted to areas less occupied by humans. There are approximately 600,000 black bears in North America, 300,000 of which are in the US.
The American Black Bears are omnivorous. They feed on plants along with small mammals, salmon, alligator eggs, crayfish, trout and carrion. Though they are commonly found in forested areas abundant in fruits and vegetation, bears are extremely adaptable creatures. They can also be found in tundra and are able to forage in fields and meadows. American Black bears are solitary mammals with the exception of mothers and their cubs. They mostly forage alone and would only hunt in groups if there were plenty of food resources in a given area.
Due to the varying weather conditions, some black bears rarely hibernate. Some would even leave their dens again and again during hibernation period. In areas where there is continuous food supply and warmer weather, they may not hibernate or do so for only a short period of time. Female black bears also give birth during this time.
As population continues to increase, bear habitats are continuously being limited. Areas where they find food, water and shelter are slowly decreasing. In addition to this, other threats of black bear existence are road-kills, human encroachment, poaching and many more.
Unless they are cornered, threatened or wounded, black bears seldom attack humans. There is only an estimated 56-documented killings of humans by black bears in the past 100 years.
American black bears are considered threatened subspecies in Louisiana, eastern Texas, southern Mississippi, and Mexico. Some are subject to
black bear hunting in other states of the US like New Jersey and some provinces of Canada except for Manitoba where they are listed as pest species.
For more information, check this site on
American Black Bears.
