The American black bear (Ursus americanus), also known as the American or Baribal black bear, is one of the most common and emblematic of North America, especially Canada and the United States In fact, it is very likely that you have seen it represented in a famous American movie or series. In this page of our site, you will be able to learn more details and curiosities about this great terrestrial mammal. Read on to learn all about the origins, appearance, behavior, and reproduction of the American black bear.
Origin of the black bear
As we mentioned in the introduction, the black bear is a species of terrestrial mammal of the ursid family that is native to America from North. Its population extends from northern Canada and Alaska, to the Sierra Gorda region in Mexico, including the Atlantic and Pacific coasts ofUnited States The highest 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, the populations are scarcer and are usually limited to the mountainous regions of the north in the north of the country.
The species is first described in 1780 by Peter Simon Pallas, an important German zoologist and botanist. Today, 16 subspecies of American black bear are recognized, and interestingly, not all of them have black fur. Let's briefly see which are the 16 subspecies of black bear that inhabit North America:
- Ursus americanus altifrontalis: Lives in the North and West Pacific, from British Columbia to northern Idaho.
- Ursus americanus amblyceps: Found in Colorado, Texas, Arizona, Utah, and northern Mexico.
- Ursus americanus americanus: inhabits the eastern regions of the Atlantic Ocean, from southern and eastern Canada and Alaska to southern Texas.
- Ursus americanus californiensis: Ranges through California's Central Valley 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 southeastern Alaska.
- Ursus americanus eremicus: Its population is limited to northeastern Mexico.
- Ursus americanus floridanus: lives in the states of Florida, Georgia and southern Alabama.
- Ursus americanus hamiltoni: is a subspecies endemic to the island of Newfoundland.
- Ursus americanus kermodei: inhabits the central coast of British Columbia.
- Ursus americanus luteolus: it is a species typical of East Texas, Louisiana and southern Mississippi.
- Ursus americanus machetes: lives only in Mexico.
- Ursus americanus perniger: it is an endemic species of the Kenai Peninsula (Alaska).
- Ursus americanus pugnax: this bear lives only in the Alexander Archipelago (Alaska).
- Ursus americanus vancouveri: only inhabits Vancouver Island (Canada).
Aspect 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 terms, we are dealing with a bear of great size and robustness, although they are significantly smaller than brown bears and polar bears. Adult black bears are typically 1.4 to 2 meters long with a height at the withers of 1 to 1.3 meters.
Body weight can vary significantly by subspecies, sex, age, and time of year. Females can weigh from 40 to 180 kg, while the weight of males varies between 70 and 280 kg Generally, these bears reach their maximum weight during the autumn, when they must consume a large amount of food in order to prepare for winter.
Its head features a straight facial profile, with small brown eyes, a pointed snout and rounded ears. Already its body reveals a rectangular profile, being slightly longer than tall, with hind legs noticeably longer than the front ones (about 15 cm difference). The long and strong hind legs allow the black bear to stand firm and walk in a bipedal position, this being a very striking feature of these mammals. Thanks to their powerful claws, black bears are also able to dig and climb trees very easily. Regarding fur, not all subspecies of black bear exhibit a black mantle. Throughout North America, subspecies with brown, reddish, chocolate, blonde, and even cream or whitish fur can be seen.
Black Bear Behavior
Despite its large size and robustness, the black bear is very agile and precise when hunting, and can also climb to high trees of the forests that inhabit North America to escape from possible threats or rest peacefully. Its movements are characteristic of a plantigrade mammal, that is, it completely supports the soles of its feet on the ground when walking. In addition, they are skillful swimmers and often cross large bodies of water to move between islands in an archipelago or cross from the mainland to an island.
Thanks to their strength, powerful claws, speed and well-developed senses, black bears are excellent hunters who can catch prey of different sizes. In fact, they usually consume everything from termites and small insects to rodents, deer, trout, salmon and crabs Eventually, they can also benefit from the carrion left by other predators or eat eggs to complement the supply of protein in their nutrition. However, vegetables represent about 70% of the content of their omnivorous diet, consuming a huge amount of herbs, grasses, berries, fruits and pine nutsThey 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 enough energy reserves to maintain a balanced metabolism during the winter. However, black bears do not hibernate, but maintain a kind of winter sleep, during which their body temperature drops only a few degrees, while the animal sleeps for long periods of time in its cave.
Black Bear Play
Black bears are solitary animals that only come together in pairs when the mating season arrives, which occurs between the months May and August, during the spring and summer of the Northern Hemisphere. In general, males reach sexual maturity from their third year of life, while females do so between their second and ninth years of life.
Like all other types of bears, the black bear is a viviparous animal, which means that fertilization and development of the young occur inside the womb of the females. Black bears have a delayed fertilization and the embryos only begin to develop about ten weeks after copulation, to prevent the cubs from being born in the autumn. The gestation period in this species lasts six or seven months, at the end of which the female will give birth to one or two cubs, which are born hairless, with their eyes closed and a weight average 200 to 400 grams
The cubs will be suckled by their mothers until they are eight months old, after which she will begin to try solid food. However, they will remain with their parents for their first two or three years of life, until they reach sexual maturity and are fully prepared to live on their own. Their life expectancy in the wild can vary between 10 and 30 years
Black Bear Conservation Status
According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the black bear is considered to be in Least Concern status, mainly thanks 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 experienced a significant reduction in the last 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
