аÄÃÅ¿ª½±½á¹û

15 Interesting Facts About Black Bears

The American black bear (Ursus americanus), also known as the black bear is the continent’s smallest bear species in North America. There are 600,000 to 700,000 adult bears widely distributed in Canada and the U.S., with a small population in Mexico. The black bears have 16 subspecies which differ slightly in their appearances. They’re quite tolerant of humans due to the immediate availability of food and they can be easily spotted in forests, fields and campsites.

They belong to the omnivore type of animals and their diet varies depending on the season and location. Black bears are known to be masters of adaptation as they hibernate as a way of surviving a long winter season. Therefore, today in this article we are going to look at some of the fascinating facts about the black bears in order to equip the reader with knowledge about them.  

1. They are hibernators

Black bears start hibernating during the winter period when there’s little food available. They usually go to places like tree cavities, deep caves, dens they dig out for themselves, rocks or spaces under logs, and they stay there for seven months or even longer. During hibernation their temperature and heart rate drop to 8 to 21 beats per minute and neither do they eat, drink, urinate, or defecate during hibernation. They are also capable of maintaining bone mass and managing their cholesterol levels during this period. Female bears often give birth to their cubs at this particular time of hibernation. Black bears tend to hibernate for longer periods in the Northern areas and shorter periods in the Southern areas due to the warm temperatures.

2. Black bears are great climbers

A picture of a black bear. , , via Wikimedia Commons

It may not be a good idea to try and climb a tree to escape a bear because they are expert tree climbers and they can possibly attack. Their short claws make it easier for them to climb a tree at very high speed. Mother black bears teach their cubs to climb trees at a very young age and in case of danger, they send them up the tree. The black bears climb the trees by latching with their front paws and using their back legs to walk up a tree. When they want to come down, they don’t turn around to go down the tree, they come down using the same way they went up that is back legs first.

3. They are not always black

Although they are called black bears, they are not always black, their coat can also be brown, red, cinnamon, blond, grey, tan, blue grey, blue black, and even sometimes white. The black bears with shaggy black coats are particularly in the eastern regions and the ones in the Western portions tend to be lighter in color. The ones found in coastal British Colombia known as Kermode bears or spirit bears are white.

4. They have a good sense of smell

Black bear cub. , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Black bears are always seen standing on their hind legs, sniffing scents that can be miles and miles away. They have the ability to smell even the tiniest crumbs of food with their oversized noses. With their ability to smell food over miles away, they are capable of finding food that has been disposed of by humans mostly in the dustbins. Their strong sense of smell also enhances their safety because they are able to identify the danger that is around them.

5. Black bears like eating

Black bears like eating and therefore they’re constantly looking for food and will spend eight hours a day in search of food. They are omnivores and they feed primarily on berries, plants, grasses, fruits and nuts. The black bears feed mostly on carbohydrates and they get their protein and fats from beetles and termites. When they are close to hibernation the black bears would eat four times their normal calorie intake which is around 20, 000 calories per day to have sufficient fat stores that can last after hibernation too, as the food may be scarce when they are out of hibernation.

6.They are antisocial

A picture of a bear walking alone. , , via Wikimedia Commons

The female and male black bears only come together to mate during the summer season and after that, they part ways. The female black bear goes through a survival adaptation called delayed implantation where the embryo doesn’t implant in the uterus until the fall and only if only the female black bear has stored enough fats that will sustain her during the hibernating season. The female bear will only give birth to two or three cubs every other year. They stay with the cubs for 18 months as she teaches them different modes of survival such as finding food, avoiding predators and moving about their habitat. Immediately after 18 months, she sends the cubs on their way before the next mating.

7. They run so fast

Black bears are large and have a waddling walk, but they are capable of running so fast on flat land, uphill or downhill. They can be able to outrun human beings because they can reach speeds of 25 to 30 miles per hour, so don’t be convinced that you can outrun them. They move so slowly until when it is necessary for them to move so fast either when outrunning danger or in search of their prey.

8. The black bears are about the size of humans

The average weight of human beings is between 130-180 pounds. The male black bears weigh, on average, between 150-180 pounds and the female black bears weigh between 100-150 pounds. In preparation for the winter the female black bear doable their size during the summer season. However, the weight of black bears varies by the state they are located, in Montana, black bears weigh between 180 to 400 pounds and the heaviest black bears ever weighed between 180 to 400 pounds. They also stand 2 to 3 feet at shoulders and 4 to 7 feet long from nose to tail. The life span of the black bear is up to 20 years in the wild.

9. They are great swimmers

A picture of a bear swimming. , , via Wikimedia Commons

The black bears’ powerful legs help them move in water swiftly with no trouble. They can be able to swim across rivers and lakes swiftly while really enjoying the waters. The rivers and the lake can be a source of food for the black bears depending on the habitat. When the mother bear gives birth to her cubs, she teaches the cubs how to swim when they are very young as a mode of survival because she sends them away after 18 months.

10. They lose their body fat during hibernation

Before the black bears go into hibernation, they really ensure they have sufficient fat stores so that they can use them during the hibernation period because at that time they are not drinking or eating anything therefore, they tend to lose at least half their body fat. They, however, don’t lose any muscle mass or much calcium from their bones. Their body temperature also drops from 38 C to 33 C, and their heart rate goes from 50 beats a minute to 10.

11. Female black bears can delay implantation

The female black bears go through a survival adaptation called the delayed implantation where they can delay implantation even after mating with a male black bear. The female black bear delays implantation if the food supplies are scarce and therefore, she cannot be able to store enough fats. The female black bear can give birth to up to 6 cubs every other year and 2 cubs is the average. The gestation period lasts up to 70 days and the mother black bear releases its cubs after 18 months to go their way.

12. Black bears can be tamed

A bear crossing the road in a neighbourhood. , , via Wikimedia Commons

The black bears can be tamed and taught several tricks such as dancing and even pushing wheelbarrows. However, no matter how the black bears are trained and become comfortable with humans, they cannot be domesticated permanently since their wild instincts remain. They are known to be solitary animals and that they require to eat each and every time, therefore, they keep hunting for food whenever they feel hungry.

13. Black bears have very few predators

The only common threat to black bears is starvation. Other than this they also try and stay away from human beings by hiding away from their dens to avoid any contact with humans who might be trying to hunt them. Hunters who have licenses, hunt the black bears mostly for sport but also to keep their population in check. Hunting of black bears, however, is illegal in most of the countries. In case of any attack, the black bears defend themselves by fluffing up their fur to look bigger and also by standing on their hind legs. When they appear angry to their attackers they will growl, pound their paws on the ground and charge towards them.

14. They are known to attack livestock

During the early spring, the black bears are forced to look for other sources of food because very few plants have matured for the black bears to eat them but it’s not enough. As a result of this, they attack the livestock left out on pasture, this includes goats, calves, sheep and pigs. When attacking the livestock, they tend to avoid adult cows and horses but records exist of desperate black bears attacking them for food. Black bears can also attack pets such as dogs and cats.

15. They can attack human beings

Black bears avoid being in contact with human beings by hiding away from their dens. They only attack humans when they come close to them but first, they scare them away before they fully attack them. Most of the attacks usually happen near the camping grounds since people come close to the black bears when they try to feed them. The park officials have warned people not to feed the bears because statistics show that when people don’t feed them, the black bears would automatically avoid people.

Black bears are interesting yet scary creatures that have a lot of unique features that will interest wildlife enthusiasts. this article can be a foundation of knowledge as one continues explorring more about black bears and their many characteristics.

Check out this articles on the world’s heaviest animal here