American Black Bear
Ursus americanus
IDENTIFICATION
Length: Adult black bears are 4 to 6 feet long.
Weight: Adult male black bears weigh 130 to 660 pounds. Adult female black bears weigh 90 to 175 pounds.
Color: They are black, blonde, or various shades of brown, often with lighter fur around their snout.
Sounds: Black bears make huffing, snorting, and jaw clapping sounds when nervous, angry, or distressed.
HABITAT
Range: Black bears can be found in most of the forested regions of North America, including most of Canada, Alaska, some parts of northern USA (including Minnesota), and along USA mountain ranges. They live in forests, swamps, and other areas with dense cover, venturing into clearings to feed.
Diet: Black bears are omnivores and their diet changes with the seasons – green vegetation in the spring, ants and ant pupae in early summer, a variety of berries in the summer, and nuts (primarily acorns and hazelnuts) in autumn. Black bears will also eat a variety of insects, fish, reptiles and amphibians, and mammals.
Status: Least Concern. Black bear are currently a game species in Minnesota, and are able to be hunted with a permit.
American Black Bear track. Image from WildlifeIllinois.org.
American Black Bear scat. Image from Bear-Tracker.com.
LIFE CYCLE
Reproduction: Black bears mate from May to July throughout their range. Cubs are born in January while the mother is denning for the winter. The average litter size is 2 to 3 cubs. They leave the den in early April and remain with their mother until 17 months old. Male bears play no role in raising young, and may even kill cubs if the opportunity arises.
Hibernation: Black bears hibernate in their dens for as long as 6 or 7 months during winter, living off stored body fat. During this time they do not eat, drink, urinate, or defecate. They wake in spring with little loss of muscle mass or strength.
American Black Bears are the smallest and most common species of bear in North America. They are excellent climbers, swimmers, and runners — sprinting up to 30 miles per hour.
American Black Bear range. Image from Encyclopedia of Life (via eMammal).