Hello my fellow curious critters and welcome back to The Friendly Neighborhood Shark Lady! As the weather has slowly been warming up I have found myself out exploring the beautiful natural spaces I am so lucky to have here in Kentucky. Recently, in one of my favorite spots, a baby black bear has been spotted roaming around and inspired this week’s post. So strap on your trusty hiking boots and let’s learn all about the American Black bear!
The American Black bear is the most common bear species in America. They can be found in forests, mountains, and swamps anywhere in North America and south into Mexico. Typically, Black bears are solitary animals with an expansive range. An adult male can have a home range between 15 and 80 square miles. While they do have a large range, they are not necessarily territorial and do not protect their home range from other animals. There are a few times a year you may notice a group of Black bears though. Male and female Black bears congregate during mating season which peaks in May and June. Once the female gives birth, the cubs also remain with their mother for around two years.
Despite their name, not all Black bears are black. Black bears can be blue-grey, cinnamon, brown, blue-black, or even, in rare occasions, white. They are typically 5-6 feet (1.5-1.8 meters) in length and weigh a whopping 200-600 pounds (90-270 kilograms). Male Black bears are larger and weigh up to 70% more than their female counterparts.
Black bears are opportunistic omnivores meaning they will eat just about anything as long as it is a relatively easy meal. They mainly munch on berries, grasses, roots, and insects. Black bears will also eat fish, mammals, honey, and even dead animals. It is very easy for Black bears to become accustomed to human food, so it is very important to properly store and dispose of food when you are in an area where Black bears are common. Black bears that become habituated to human foods can become dangerous due to the increased risk of human-bear interactions.
During the cold winter months, Black bears hunker down in a den and fall into a deep sleep. Dens can be found in caves, burrows, hollowed-out tree trunks, brush piles, and other sheltered areas. To prepare for their sleepy winters, Black bears eat ravenously all summer and fall to build up plenty of fat stores that will sustain them. The amount of time they spend in deep sleep depends on the climate in which they are living. Black bears living in the northern parts of the United States and Canada can hunker down for up to 8 months.
Unlike many of the species I cover on this blog, Black bears are listed as least concern with an increasing population by the IUCN Red List. As the human population grows and we spread further into our natural spaces, we are seeing more negative human-bear interactions. As I mentioned before, this is mainly due to them becoming habituated to human sources of food. Black bears will typically try to avoid humans, but will lose their inherent fear of humans over time. Black bears that use human food as their main source of sustenance also see a drastic decrease in their lifespan. This is why it is so important to properly store and dispose of food in areas where Black bears are known to live.
Thank you for coming and learning with me today! I hope you enjoyed learning about the American Black bear as much as I did. Did you learn anything that surprised you today! I know I was a little surprised to find out that their main source of food was plants! I always just pictured them as mainly meat-eaters. You learn something new every day! I will see you all back here soon for more science fun!
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