• Black Bear

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  Black Bear information and facts:

  Type: Mammal
  Diet: Omnivore
  Average lifespan in the wild: 20 years
  Size: 5 to 6 ft (1.5 to 1.8 m) long
  Weight: 200 to 600 lbs (90 to 270 kg)
  Group name: Sleuth or Sloth
  Did you know? Black bears are not true hibernators. During their winter dormant period, though, they do not eat, drink, urinate, or defecate, but may wake up if disturbed.

• Black bears are found in a wide variety of habitats across their range. They prefer forested and shrubby areas but they are also known to live on ridgetops, in tidelands, burned areas, riparian areas, agricultural fields, and, sometimes, avalanche chutes. Black bears can be found from hardwood and conifer swamps to the rather dry sage and pinyon-juniper habitats in the western states. They are active mostly durring the day, waking shortly before sunrise and bedding down a few hours after sunset.

• Black Bear video.
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  What does a Black Bear eat?

  Black bears are very opportunistic eaters.
  A solitary, predominantly vegetarian creature, the black bear uses its keen sense of smell to search out fruit, nuts, berries and roots. However, this bear will also eat insects, honey, fish and small mammals when the opportunity arises. They will also eat fish and mammals, including carrion, and easily develop a taste for human foods and garbage. Bears who become habituated to human food at campsites, cabins, or rural homes can become dangerous and are often killed, thus the frequet reminder: Please Don't Feed the Bears!
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  How do Black Bears spend the winter time?

  When winter arrives, black bears spend the season dormant in their dens, feeding on body fat they have built up by eating ravenously all summer and fall. They make their dens in caves, burrows, brush piles, or other sheltered spots, sometimes even in tree holes high above the ground. Black bears den for various lengths of time governed by the diverse climates in which they live.
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  Where does the Black Bear live?

  Although black is the most common color of this bear, fur color can range from light brown to dark brown and even grayish blue. Although adaptable, forests tend to be the black bear's favorite haunt. Its sharp claws are great tools for ripping open old logs in search of grubs and worms as well as for tree climbing.

• What to do when a Black Bear is after you?

  If running away from an American black bear, the last thing you want to do is climb a tree - they are expert climbers! Fortunately, they are less aggressive than some other bear species.

• What is special about the Black Bear?

  It is an excellent tree climber, and despite its size, regularly ascends to the treetops to eat. The larger and more erect ears and the lack of a shoulder hump distinguish the black bear from the brown bear. Like most bears, the black bear hibernates in winter, which can last as long as six months in the more northern areas of its range.

• Black Bear images

  
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