The species is widespread across North America, and population studies estimate that some 850,000 to 900,000 black bears currently live in North America. The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) lists the black bear as a species of least concern. Black bears can live more than 20 years in the wild, but in areas near human habitation most black bears die sooner as a result of hunting, trapping, poaching, nuisance removal near campgrounds or dumps, and collision with vehicles. Although the mother is very protective of her litter, young cubs may be killed by coyotes, wolves, brown bears, or other black bears. Born blind, fully furred, and toothless, the cubs remain with the mother for 16 months, and the female breeds every second or third year. Actual gestation then lasts 60–70 days, and one to four young cubs are born in January or February. Implantation of the fertilized egg is delayed, occurring in November or December. Black bears are promiscuous, males and females often mating with several individuals. Breeding begins in the spring and peaks during June and July. Throughout Canada and the United States, home ranges of black bears extend from about 40 to 200 square km (15 to 77 square miles) for males but are considerably smaller for females. Home ranges typically are larger where food is less abundant and smaller where food is plentiful. They are mostly solitary, and the home ranges of both males and females may overlap. In almost all cases, avoiding surprise encounters is the best defense, as black bears prefer to avoid people.įollow wildlife filmmaker Andreas Kieling capturing the behaviour of Alaska's black bears ( Ursus americanus) in their natural habitat See all videos for this articleīlack bears are not territorial. Encounters with black bears occasionally result in injury or death, and attacks are reported every year. Black bears living near humans adapt readily to alternate food sources, such as garbage from dumps or campsites and handouts from tourists in parks. Nonetheless, black bears are strong predators, and in some areas they frequently kill moose calves and deer fawns during spring. As opportunistic feeders, black bears will also eat pine cones, roots, ants, and honey from wild or domestic bees. Fruits dominate the diet in summer, and both fruit and mast, especially acorns and beechnuts, constitute most of the fall diet. In spring they consume emerging plants and carcasses of animals that died during the winter. Though classified as carnivores, black bears have an omnivorous diet. SpaceNext50 Britannica presents SpaceNext50, From the race to the Moon to space stewardship, we explore a wide range of subjects that feed our curiosity about space!ĭo you know which species of shark is most likely to attack a human? Or what animal has the strongest bite?.Learn about the major environmental problems facing our planet and what can be done about them! Saving Earth Britannica Presents Earth’s To-Do List for the 21st Century.Britannica Beyond We’ve created a new place where questions are at the center of learning.100 Women Britannica celebrates the centennial of the Nineteenth Amendment, highlighting suffragists and history-making politicians.COVID-19 Portal While this global health crisis continues to evolve, it can be useful to look to past pandemics to better understand how to respond today.Student Portal Britannica is the ultimate student resource for key school subjects like history, government, literature, and more.This Time in History In these videos, find out what happened this month (or any month!) in history.#WTFact Videos In #WTFact Britannica shares some of the most bizarre facts we can find.Demystified Videos In Demystified, Britannica has all the answers to your burning questions.Britannica Explains In these videos, Britannica explains a variety of topics and answers frequently asked questions.Britannica Classics Check out these retro videos from Encyclopedia Britannica’s archives.
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