It’s almost coming to an end but these last two are goodies. Bear number 7 of the 8 species is the Black Bear.
Among so many of its endangered brethren, the Black Bear is a wonderful success story. “The North American black bear is the most abundant bear in the world. They are highly adaptable animals that are known to live in a wide variety of habitats, but typically inhabit forested land. Currently, North American black bears exist in 95% of their former range, and they are even returning to forested areas in or near major cities.”
Some fun facts about the Black Bear… who can be brown or even white!:
- Ursus americanus ranges from black or brown to the rare white phase. Habitat can strongly influence color phases, and a female can give birth to cubs that are different colors in the same litter.
- The American black bear is the fourth largest of the world’s eight bear species. Adult males can weigh between 175 and 500 pounds (78-225 kg), …Females range between 100 and 300 pounds.
- Black and brown bears cannot be distinguished by color alone. When standing on all fours, rump is higher than front shoulders, and black bears lack the distinct shoulder hump that grizzly/brown bears have.
- The pure white phase of the black bear along the British Columbia coast is a distinct subspecies called the Kermode bear, or spirit bear, but white phase black bears can occur anywhere, however rare.
Read more at the Great Bear Foundation.
Tune in tomorrow for our bespectacled finale!
