[94] Although American black bears do not often engage in active predation of other large animals for much of the year, the species will regularly prey on mule and white-tailed deer fawns in spring, given the opportunity. Do not approach bears or allow them to approach you. Their mating … Approximately 70% of all American black bears are black, though only 50% of American black bears in the Rocky Mountains are black. [87] During winter, American black bears consume 25–40% of their body weight. Approximately 10% of the population of this subspecies have white or cream-colored coats due to a recessive gene and are called "Kermode bears" or "spirit bears". Important nonforested areas here are wet meadows, riparian areas, avalanche chutes, roadsides, burns, sidehill parks and subalpine ridgetops. Anywhere, any time. The American black bear's generalist behavior allowed it to exploit a wider variety of foods and has been given as a reason why, of these three genera, it alone survived climate and vegetative changes through the last Ice Age while the other, more specialized North American predators became extinct. American black bears in the southern Appalachian Mountains survive in predominantly oak-hickory and mixed mesophytic forests. [24], According to Dwight Schuh in his Bowhunter's Encyclopedia, American black bears are the third most popular quarry of bowhunters, behind deer and elk.[136]. Black Bear Woman's children, in turn, killed Grizzly Bear Woman's children. [72] At birth, cubs weigh 280–450 g (0.62–0.99 lb) and measure 20.5 cm (8.1 in) in length. [39] Across its range, the greatest skull length for the species has been reportedly measured from 23.5 to 35 cm (9.3 to 13.8 in). [65] The record age of a wild specimen was 39 years,[73] while that in captivity was 44 years. They are often found in areas with relatively inaccessible terrain, thick understory vegetation and large quantities of edible material (especially masts). Generally bigger than its mainland relatives, ranging in size from 90 to 270 kg (200 to 600 lb) and averaging 135 kg (298 lb). [24], Currently, 28 of the U.S. states have American black bear hunting seasons. [49] Black bears in north-central Minnesota averaged 69.9 kg (154 lb) in 163 females and 124.95 kg (275 lb) in 77 males. As the fawns reach 10 days of age, they can outmaneuver the bears and their scent is soon ignored until the next year. [81] The bear keeping track of the changing days allows it to awaken from hibernation at the appropriate time of year to conserve as much energy as possible. It has also been shown that ambient light exposure and low disturbance levels (that is to say, wild bears in ambient light conditions) directly correlate with their activity levels. As American black bears can have trichinellosis, cooking temperatures need to be high in order to kill the parasites. They are sometimes attracted to human communities because of the immediate availability of food. While the American black bear can be found across North America, the Louisiana black bear subspecies is only known to occur in Louisiana, East Texas and western Mississippi. The vestigial tail is usually 4.8 inches (120 mm) long. In 1822, 3,000 skins were exported from the Hudson's Bay Company. [42] American black bears have been reported stealing deer and other game from human hunters. Blackbear was consistently grateful for the support of all of his fans, and truly excited to be in Cleveland. Although called a "black" bear… The American black bear is the smallest of the three bears species found in North America and is found only in North America. The bear was shot while mauling a fourth victim. New Jersey, in November 2010, approved a six-day bear-hunting season in early December 2010 to slow the growth of the American black bear population. Typically adults are three feet tall at the shoulder, and their length from nose to tail is about 75 inches. A large male black bear can exceed 600 pounds in weight, while females seldom exceed 200 pounds. [41][54][55][56] Although they are the smallest bear species in North America, large males exceed the size of other bear species, except the brown bear and the polar bear. Search, discover, and learn about wildlife. Ditch the disposables and make the switch to sustainable products. We're on the ground in seven regions across the country, collaborating with 53 state and territory affiliates to reverse the crisis and ensure wildlife thrive. They typically live in largely forested areas but will leave forests in search of food. [24], The current range of American black bears in the United States is constant throughout most of the northeast and within the Appalachian Mountains almost continuously from Maine to northern Georgia, the northern Midwest, the Rocky Mountain region, the West Coast and Alaska. The other 90% appear as normal-colored black bears. [3] American and Asian black bears are considered sister taxa and are more closely related to each other than to the other modern species of bears. Despite this, American black bears in those areas seem to have expanded their range during the last decade, such as with recent sightings in Ohio[25] and southern Indiana,[27] though these probably do not yet represent stable breeding populations. [120] The fictional character Winnie-the-Pooh was named after Winnipeg, a female American black bear cub that lived at the London Zoo from 1915 until her death in 1934. Most American black bear attacks tend to be motivated by hunger rather than territoriality and thus victims have a higher probability of surviving by fighting back rather than submitting. 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