Black bear: the American bear (7 photos)

Yes, Americans have their own personal bear, and what can you do to them? No, we're not talking about grizzlies, because grizzlies are a subspecies of brown bears, almost indistinguishable from them. But the black bear—the American black bear—is a completely different branch of clubfooted evolution!





Hello, I'd like to order a double cheeseburger.

First of all, the animal is distinguished by its size. Black bears can be indecently small. In Alaska, for example, bears weigh just like humans: the average male weighs only 87 kilograms, and females weigh another 20 kilograms less! But to be fair, it's worth acknowledging that bears living in central North America are significantly larger, weighing between 200 and 400 kilograms. However, their average weight is still relatively small, no more than 120 kilograms. Meanwhile, the average brown bear is 30-50% heavier.



He's the size of a dog!

They also differ in appearance. Black bears have a more graceful body, longer legs, and are covered in jet-black fur with a white patch on their chest. However, not all black bears are brown. About 30% of black bears are actually brown, and among the bear population on Canada's Kermode Island, there are even snow-white specimens!





About 20% of the bears on Kermode Island are white. And they're not albinos, but normal bears with white fur! This is believed to be the result of selective breeding during fishing. So as not to be conspicuous when lurking over the water's surface.

But in terms of diet, black bears are very similar to our bears. They also enjoy honey, fish, nuts, and berries; after hibernation, they feast on meat and carrion; and in times of famine, they raid trash cans in cities and villages. But with the black bear's distinctive coloring, of course.



Well, hello. Come in, have a seat, why don't you look like someone else?

Because black bears are smaller and more graceful, they spend a lot of time in trees, enjoying plucking fruit and destroying beehives. They're also unable to take prey from wolf packs, but they do hunt lynxes and lone wolves with great pleasure. However, they often have to share their fairly taken prey with grizzlies. They also have to give up the best berry patches and den sites. Life is hard for a bear that's not at the top of the food chain...



Hello, birds, can you tell me how I can convince a grizzly to back off?

However, despite obvious pressure from brown bears, black bears are thriving: their population in the United States alone (excluding Mexico, Canada, and Alaska) is approaching half a million individuals, more than all brown and polar bears combined! But how, under the thumb of their big brother, do they manage to outshine him?



Sometimes it might even seem like a wolverine, not a bear.

And all thanks to their small size! Black bears are much less voracious and much less demanding of environmental conditions, and their population density is higher, as is their reproductive rate. Therefore, black bears are able to replenish their numbers relatively easily and even colonize new territories, including the suburbs of human cities.



Go your own way, stalker.

They also rarely conflict with humans and don't interfere with their lives. Black bears are very shy and won't become aggressive when encountering humans. They'll simply run away. Therefore, where brown bears are shot for their unwillingness to retreat, much more docile black bears soon appear, posing virtually no obstacle to humans.