Looking for:
Where are the most black bears in america- Where are the most black bears in america
Where are the most black bears in america.Black Bears
Visitors, rangers, and bears, oh my! Adults are between 1. While this may sound large, black bears are the smallest North American bear.
Black bears also have small heads with straight-line profiles, rounded ears, non-retractable claws on their paws, and an incredible sense of smell. They are thought to have the keenest noses in the animal kingdom, but their sense of smell is so good that it is difficult to measure! Black bears are the only species of bear currently in southern Oregon and northern California.
They are also found in forests throughout Canada, Alaska, the Rocky Mountains, the upper Midwest, parts of the southern U. Black bears live over an individual home range of 24 square kilometers 15 square miles or more. They will follow seasonal landscape changes to rely on different food sources throughout the year. In the spring, they are commonly found near wetlands and early green-up areas, while in the summer and fall, they will occur near large berry patches.
They will often travel along humanmade trails, retired logging roads, and game trails. Black bears are omnivorous, meaning they eat both plants and animals. They rely heavily on their sense of smell for finding food; it is thought that they can smell a food source from over two miles away. Most of their diet consists of berries, fruit, sedges, and insects.
They will also occasionally consume fish, honeycomb, and human food and garbage, so it is important to make sure to keep your items locked up with bear-proof equipment!
In the spring, black bears may prey on young elk and deer. They even occasionally hijack carcasses of these animals that were killed by another predator such as a mountain lion. Black bears may become prey to mountain lions Puma concolor , wolves Canis lupus , coyotes Canis latrans , bobcats Lynx rufus , grizzly bears, humans, or other black bears.
Cubs are especially vulnerable to predation by these other animals. Black bears are largely solitary creatures, except when breeding.
They build dens beneath fallen trees, hollowed logs, and other protective shelters. They are diurnal active during the day in natural habitats, although they may become more active at night in areas with lots of human activity to avoid encounters with us.
Still, be sure to keep your eyes peeled! During the fall, these bears will build up a thick layer of fat to sustain them through their winter sleep; however, they do not truly hibernate! Instead, black bears like other large mammals enter a shallow torpor. In torpor, bears do not need to wake to eat, drink, urinate, or defecate, although this state does allow bears to wake up more suddenly if a sense of danger is present.
Black bears mate in summer every two to three years. Females give birth while in their dens to anywhere between one and six cubs in mid-winter two or three are most common! Cubs, initially born blind and without teeth, will nurse until the emergence of green vegetation in spring. Young bears stay and grow alongside their mother for about two years before becoming independent, and they reach maturity within three to four years of age.
After reaching adulthood, black bears can live up to 30 years old! Download a pdf of this article. Explore This Park. What's in a name? This black bear standing on a log actually has cinnamon-colored fur!
An unusual snack - This black bear is munching on dandelions! NPS Diet Black bears are omnivorous, meaning they eat both plants and animals. Predators Black bears may become prey to mountain lions Puma concolor , wolves Canis lupus , coyotes Canis latrans , bobcats Lynx rufus , grizzly bears, humans, or other black bears.
Behavior Black bears are largely solitary creatures, except when breeding. Reproduction Black bears mate in summer every two to three years.
Fun Facts The most common color for a black bear is actually brown Black bears are the smallest bear found in North America Black bears do not truly hibernate!
Bear cubs are born blind, fully furred, and without teeth Where to See Black bears occur in over national parks, including all parks in the Klamath Network.
You Might Also Like. Loading results Last updated: July 21,
Where are the most black bears in america.Black bears: The most common bear in North America
Left image Credit: NPS. Did You Know? American black bears Ursus americanus are the most common and widely distributed species of bears in North America.
They can be found anywhere from forested areas to the beach to the alpine zone. While bears of the same species might look similar, everything from their size, coloring, diet, and sleeping patterns depend on the bear and its location.
The home range for an adult black bear can vary depending on the location, season, and food availability. For more information about bears and bear behavior in a specific national park, please contact that park. Black bears will eat almost anything.
They are omnivores, meaning that they eat both plants and animals. Their curved claws help them climb trees to search for food, but they cannot dig for food as well as a brown bear. Black bears are very smart and can identify food not only by smell but also by appearance.
Bears who have been fed human food will begin to associate campsites, bags, garbage cans, and even cars with food. These food-conditioned bears can become dangerous. Help keep them wild by following these tips on food storage and bear safety. Black bears are one of the largest predators living in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but the majority of their diet is made up of plants. Black bears in the Great Smoky Mountains also eat insects and animal carcasses when they are available.
Black bears in Glacier Bay eat a wide variety of plant and animal foods. They often graze on shoreline grasses and sedges, dandelions, wild celery, cow parsnip, and other beach and meadow plants. They use their long claws to dig up plants and roots and to pick ripened berries in the summer. In the late summer and fall, black bears eat salmon from the large streams of Alaska. Occasionally, black bears will eat other animals including bumblebees, birds, bird eggs, rodents, and animal or whale carcasses.
Bears in the Great Smokies will den during the winter to escape the cold weather. While some bears den in hollow stumps and tree cavities, these bears are unusual in that they often den high above ground in standing hollow trees. It is believed that these black bears do not enter a true hibernation, and they may leave their den for short periods of time if the weather is warm or if they are disturbed.
During the winter denning period, pregnant black bears will give birth to cubs. Bears without cubs emerge in the early spring; mother bears and cubs emerge last usually in late March or early April.
Like the ones at Great Smoky Mountains, black bears in Glacier Bay enter dens during the winter if there is little to no food available. Black bears in Alaska will make their dens in the snow, under root structures, or in caves. In colder parts of Alaska, black bears will hibernate for about seven months. Bears along the warmer coast may hibernate for only two to five months, or not at all.
Just like their Great Smoky Mountains counterparts, pregnant black bears in Glacier Bay give birth to their cubs in their dens. Cubs are usually born within the first two months of hibernation. Cubs and their mothers stay in their dens for the rest of the winter while the mother bear rests and the cubs nurse and grow. Females and their cubs usually emerge from their winter dens in late March or early April.
For the most part, adult black bears lead solitary lives, except when mating season takes place. Black bear mating season occurs during the summer, but the embryos do not begin to develop until the mother bear enters her den. Cubs are born in the middle of the winter denning period, usually between mid-January and early February.
Cubs are born tiny, helpless, and hairless, weighing less than half a pound. A mother bear will typically give birth to one to three cubs at a time.
By the time a mother bear and her cubs are ready to emerge into spring, the cubs typically weigh around five pounds. Young bears grow very quickly and can weigh around 80 pounds by their first birthdays. Cubs will remain with their mother for about 18 months or until she is ready to mate again. Explore This Park. Black Bears. Text description of image slider.
What Do Black Bears Eat? Winter Dens Black bears spend the winter months in dens to avoid the cold weather and lack of available food. They make their dens in hollow trees or logs, under the root mass of a tree, in rock crevices, or even high in a tree in warmer climates.
Bears may spend up to six months in hibernation, during which they do not eat, drink, or expel waste. Life Cycle. Last updated: April 5, Tools Site Index.
No comments:
Post a Comment