black bear

Content

• origin of the black bear
• Appearance and physical characteristics of the black bear
• black bear behavior
• black bear reproduction
• Conservation status of the black bear

O black bear (ursus americanus), also known as the American black bear or baribal, is one of the most common and emblematic bear species in North America, especially from the Canada and United States. In fact, chances are you've seen him portrayed in a famous American movie or series. In this form of PeritoAnimal, you will be able to know more details and curiosities about this great terrestrial mammal. Read on to learn all about the black bear's origins, appearance, behavior and reproduction.

Source

• America
• Canada
• U.S

origin of the black bear

the black bear is a land mammal species of the family of the bears, native to North America. Its population extends from the north of the Canada and Alaska to the Sierra Gorda region of Mexico, including the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the U.S. The greatest concentration of individuals is found in the forests and mountainous regions of Canada and the United States, where it is already a protected species. In Mexican territory, populations are more scarce and generally limited to the mountainous regions in the north of the country.

The species was first described in 1780 by Peter Simon Pallas, a leading German zoologist and botanist. Currently, 16 subspecies of black bear are recognized and, interestingly, not all of them have black fur. Let's quickly see what the 16 subspecies of black bear who inhabit North America:

• Ursus americanus altifrontalis: lives in the north and west of the Pacific, from British Columbia to northern Idaho.
• Ursus americanus ambiceps: Found in Colorado, Texas, Arizona, Utah, and northern Mexico.
• Ursus americanus americanus: it inhabits the eastern regions of the Atlantic Ocean, southern and eastern Canada, and Alaska, south of Texas.
• Ursus americanus californiensis: is found in the Central Valley of California and southern Oregon.
• Ursus americanus carlottae: lives only in Alaska.
• Ursus americanus cinnamomum: inhabits the United States, in the states of Idaho, Western Montana, Wyoming, Washington, Oregon and Utah.
• ursus americanus emmonsii: Found only in Southeast Alaska.
• Ursus americanus eremicus: its population is limited to northeastern Mexico.
• Ursus americanus floridanus: inhabits the states of Florida, Georgia and southern Alabama.
• Ursus americanus hamiltoni: is an endemic subspecies of the island of Newfoundland.
• Ursus americanus kermodei: inhabits the central coast of British Columbia.
• Ursus americanus luteolus: is a species typical of eastern Texas, Louisiana and southern Mississippi.
• ursus americanus machetes: lives only in Mexico.
• ursus americanus perniger: is an endemic species to the Kenai Peninsula (Alaska).
• Ursus americanus pugnax: This bear lives only in the Alexander Archipelago (Alaska).
• Ursus americanus vancouveri: only inhabits Vancouver Island (Canada).

Appearance and physical characteristics of the black bear

With its 16 subspecies, the black bear is one of the bear species with the greatest morphological diversity among its individuals. In general, we are talking about a big stout bear, although it is significantly smaller than brown bears and polar bears. Adult black bears are usually between 1.40 and 2 meters long and a height at the withers between 1 and 1.30 meters.

Body weight can vary significantly based on subspecies, sex, age and time of year. Females can weigh from 40 to 180 kg, while male weight varies between 70 and 280 kg. These bears usually reach their maximum weight during the fall, when they must consume a large amount of food to prepare for winter.

The black bear's head has a straight facial profile, with small brown eyes, a pointed muzzle and rounded ears. Its body, on the other hand, reveals a rectangular profile, being a little longer than it is tall, with the hind legs visibly longer than the front (about 15 cm apart). The long and strong hind legs allow the black bear to keep and walk in a bipedal position, which is a hallmark of these mammals.

Thanks to their powerful claws, black bears are also able to dig and climb trees very easily. Regarding coat, not all black bear subspecies exhibit a black cloak. Across North America, subspecies with brown, reddish, chocolate, blonde, and even cream or whitish coats can be seen.

black bear behavior

Despite its large size and robustness, the black bear is very agile and accurate when hunting, and can also climb the tall trees of the forests where he lives in North America to escape possible threats or to rest peacefully. Its movements are characteristic of a plantigrade mammal, that is, it fully supports the soles of its feet on the ground when walking. Also, they are skilled swimmers and they often cross large expanses of water to move between islands in an archipelago or cross from the mainland to an island.

Thanks to their strength, their powerful claws, their speed and well-developed senses, black bears are excellent hunters that can capture prey of varying sizes. In fact, they usually consume from termites and small insects to rodents, deer, trout, salmon and crabs. Eventually, they can also benefit from carrion left by other predators or eat eggs to supplement protein intake in their nutrition. However, vegetables represent about 70% of the content of its omnivorous diet, consuming a lot of herbs, grasses, berries, fruits and pine nuts. They also love honey and are able to climb large trees to get it.

During the fall, these large mammals significantly increase their food intake, as they need to obtain sufficient energy reserves to maintain a balanced metabolism during the winter. However, black bears do not hibernate, instead they maintain a kind of winter sleep, during which the body temperature drops only a few degrees while the animal sleeps for long periods in its cave.

black bear reproduction

black bears are lonely animals who only join their partners with the arrival of the mating season, which occurs between the months of May and August, during the spring and summer of the Northern Hemisphere. In general, males reach sexual maturity from the third year of life onwards, while females do so between the second and ninth year of life.

Like other types of bears, the black bear is a viviparous animal, which means that fertilization and development of offspring takes place inside the female's uterus. Black bears have delayed fertilization, and embryos don't start to develop until about ten weeks after copulation, to prevent cubs from being born in the fall. The gestation period in this species lasts between six and seven months, at the end of which the female will give birth to one or two offspring, which are born hairless, with eyes closed and with average weight from 200 to 400 grams.

Puppies will be nursed by their mothers until they are eight months old, when they will begin to experiment with solid foods. However, they will stay with their parents for the first two or three years of life, until they reach sexual maturity and are fully prepared to live alone. Your life expectancy in its natural state can vary between 10 and 30 years old.

Conservation status of the black bear

According to the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species, the black bear is classified as in state of least concern, mainly due to the extent of its habitat in North America, the low presence of natural predators and protection initiatives. However, the population of black bears has declined significantly over the past two centuries, mainly due to hunting. It is estimated that about 30,000 individuals are hunted each year, mainly in Canada and Alaska, although this activity is legally regulated and the species is protected.