Black Bear
| Class: Mammalia:
Mammals |
Diet: Fruit, nuts,
roots, honey, insects, fish, small mammals |
| Order:
Carnivora: Carnivores |
| Size: body:
1.5 - 1.8 m (5 - 6 ft), tail: 12 cm (4 3/4 in) |
| Family: Ursidae:
Bears |
Conservation Status:
Non-threatened |
| Scientific Name:
Ursus americanus |
Habitat: wooded areas,
swamps, national parks |
| Range:
Alaska; Canada; USA: patchy distribution in New England through Pennsylvania
to Tennessee, Florida to Louisiana, mountainous areas of the west; Northern
Mexico |
 Black
bears actually vary in color from glossy black to dark brown, reddish-brown
or almost white. There is often a small white patch on the chest. Originally
found throughout much of the USA, this bear now lives only in the wilder,
uninhabited areas and in national parks, where it is thriving and on the
increase. Occasionally seen in daytime, black bears are usually active
at night, when they roam for long distances in search of food such as fruit,
berries, nuts, roots and honey. They also feed on insects, rodents and
other small mammals, stranded fish and even carrion and refuse. Their sense
of smell is good, but their hearing and eyesight are only fair. In autumn,
black bears gorge on the ample supplies of fruit to fatten themselves for
their long sleep during the coldest weather. After mating, pairs separate,
and except for females with cubs, black bears are usually solitary. A litter
of 1 to 4 young is born in January or February after a gestation of about
7 months.
  
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