American Black Bear
Ursus americanus
Description 4
Most Black Bears hibernate for up to seven months, and do not eat, drink, urinate, or exercise the entire time. In the South, where plant food is available all year, not all bears hibernate—but pregnant females do. The female gives birth to 1-6 cubs (usually 2 or 3) in January, while she is deep asleep in her den. The newborn cubs snuggle next to her for warmth and nurse while she fasts. They grow from a birth weight of 200-450 g each (about 7-16 pounds) to the 2-5 kg they will weigh when the family leaves the den in the spring. Black Bears eat a little meat, and some insects, but they rely on fruit, nuts, and vegetation for the bulk of their nutritional needs. They are not all black. Most are, with brown muzzles, but in some western forests they are brown, cinnamon, or blond, and a few, in southern Alaska and British Columbia, are creamy white or bluish-gray. In the Black Bear, Ursus americanus, the evolution of typically carnivorous, sharp shearing molars into the flat crushing teeth, typical of bears, is evident.
Sources and Credits
- (c) Diane Krauss (DianeAnna), some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7e/Schwarzb%C3%A4r-Omega_Park.jpg/460px-Schwarzb%C3%A4r-Omega_Park.jpg
- (c) Hustvedt, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e4/Ursus_americanus_boulder_colorado.jpg/460px-Ursus_americanus_boulder_colorado.jpg
- Wikimedia Commons, no known copyright restrictions (public domain), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/American_Black_Bear_close-up.jpg/460px-American_Black_Bear_close-up.jpg
- (c) Smithsonian Institution, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://eol.org/data_objects/6625857
More Info
- iNat taxon page
- Animal Diversity Web
- ASM Mammal Diversity Database
- Biodiversity Heritage Library
- BOLD Systems BIN search
- CalPhotos
- CONABIO
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
- iNaturalist Mammal Working Group
- IUCN Bear Specialist Group
- Maryland Biodiversity Project
- NatureServe Explorer 2.0
- VertNet
