Among the eight species of bears, the American black bear is medium-sized, but in its native North America, it is the smallest native bear, dwarfed by the polar bear and the grizzly bear.
Black bears are solitary animals that only socialize during the brief mating season. They have large territories, which they mark with droppings, scratches, and urine spray. Black bears use what trackers and hunters call "bear trees" to define their range.
They scratch, bite and rub the bark and branches of certain trees to warn off intruders.
Being creatures of extreme habit, they will walk the same trails within their patrol range, often stepping on their exact footprints over and over again during a season.
Males and females are equally territorial, but confrontations between black bears are fairly rare unless the land is invaded. Bears have such an amazing sense of smell that they rarely bump into each other by accident.
It is believed that black bears can smell humans, bears and other animals from up to 5 miles away if the wind blows in the right direction. The black bear's sense of smell is seven times greater than that of a hunting dog, based on extensive nasal structure and a "Jacobson's organ" located on the roof of the mouth that also aids in scent detection.
Black bears, which often move into densely populated areas for food and even dens, have seen an alarming increase in their numbers over the past three decades.
In the suburbs of the northeastern United States, black bears have become more of a nuisance, if not an outright danger. Especially in New Jersey , Maryland and Pennsylvania , black bears seem to have lost their fear and anxiety of humans.
It’s actually a testament to the intelligence of these remarkable animals that they are thriving while other, much smaller species have succumbed to the spread of human development.
The American black bear is more than just a pretty face, it is also a very intelligent and determined animal.
Black Bear Club
The black bear in North America is called the "American black bear" to distinguish it from its smaller cousin the Asian black bear.
The Asian bear is the closest evolutionary relative of the American bear. When the ancestors of today's black bears crossed the Bering Land Bridge from Asia more than 3 million years ago, they became a different species.
Asian bears are usually smaller in size, have large paws, are light-colored, and have obvious yellow markings on their chests that are reminiscent of a half-moon shape, so they are also called "moon bears". The Asian black bear has a lifestyle similar to that of the American bear, and its ecological niche is similar to that of the American bear. It lives in the forests of Southeast Asia and mainly feeds on plants.
These bears are hunted for various parts of their bodies that are of great use in Middle Eastern medicine, including their gallbladder, paws, and eyeballs.
As for the name of the American black bear, early settlers on the East Coast called it "black bear," where the body color is often very dark.
But black bears in the West can be reddish-brown, cinnamon, or even buff, and on the Pacific Coast, two subspecies have distinctive blue hues in their fur.
Therefore, black bears in the western region may have the same colors as brown bears , and they may also have overlapping territories.
Black bears differ from similarly sized grizzly or brown bears in many ways, including larger, more elongated ears and the absence of the large shoulder humps that brown bears have. Viewed from the side, the body shape is obviously different when looking at the shoulder line, neck and head position. The brown bear has significantly more muscles and a hunchback.
The facial contour is also different. The brown bear's face is a bit "sunken" and the nose is almost turned up. .
Finally, a grizzly bear's front paws are 3 to 5 inches long, nearly three times as long as a black bear's, and are lighter or even white in color. Black bear nails are much shorter, less than 2 inches, and are usually darker in color.
Black Bear Breeding
Black bears live solitary lives but come together in May and June to mate. Local males may compete for a female's attention. Occasionally these fights are violent, but usually they are more like a wrestling match to demonstrate strength and superiority.
After pairing, a couple may stay together for a week or more, often courting, playing and mating.
Interestingly, females do not start ovulating until after they are courted, and it is these days of sexual activity that induce ovulation. In another very unique aspect of bear reproduction, the female's fertilized egg will actually be in a state of suspension, not growing or developing during the first four months of pregnancy.
During these important months, the female must eat as much as possible and will wolf down any food she can forage or hunt. She may gain as much as 150 pounds before her baby even starts growing!
During the most critical moments in any black bear's life, she needs this quality. Because what mom is doing now is shocking. Sometime in the fall, September or November, a pregnant female will dig herself a huge cave, and once she's settled in, she won't venture out or even eat for five to six months.
She doesn't hibernate, which requires a slowed heartbeat, but her metabolism does slow down, and she gives birth to her pups in a dark den in late January, 6 months into her pregnancy. There may be up to six pups, but usually three, and the babies are only hamster-sized when born. The pups will grow to about 15 pounds in the litter.
html Around 15 months, the mother black bear emerges from her den with her fragile band, exhausted and starving.
After nearly two years with their mother, the cubs are leaving her company. Black bears reproduce very slowly , with females maturing slowly and usually giving birth to cubs every other year or every three years.
The care of each cub and the mother bear's instincts and skills are extremely critical. Because this factor is so important, the maternal instinct is very strong and black bear mothers, like mother bears of all species, shower their cubs with love and affection.
They may also be notoriously dangerous if they feel their young are threatened, and will defend their families with great ferocity and fearlessness.
What do black bears eat?
Thousands of years ago, black bears were probably much more carnivorous than they are today. However, the lack of territory and resources creates a very omnivorous creature, will eat almost anything it finds.
Up to 95 percent of the American black bear's diet is plant-based, including nuts and berries, roots, buds, and shoots. They also dig grubs and tear open tree stumps in search of termites, ants and the occasional hive filled with beehives.
All bears have very long tongues that they can use to extract insects from their nests almost like anteaters.
Some people eat small prey such as mice and birds. Others may be good at hunting fawns, but this is not typical. In mid-summer, those lucky enough to live near streams that are free of brown bears enjoy salmon fishing.
Finally, the American black bear is a gifted climber, even the largest specimens will spend time in trees looking for fruits such as pears and crab apples.
