How to Spot a Black Bear

An estimated 600,000 black bears live in North America, with nearly half living in the United States. The smallest of the three bears in North America, the black bear is intelligent with an amazing long-term memory. They have a long life span of up to 25 years in the wild. Omnivorous, they prefer nuts, fruit, insects, honey, salmon and small mammals. Read the following to identify a Black bear.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Learn the Black bear's vast range in North America, from Florida and northern Mexico north to Alaska and Canada. They inhabit at least 40 states in the United States.

2. Recognize their habitats. Black bears usually live in forests, away from most humans. They venture into lowlands and wetlands for juicy vegetation. In the north, they roam the tundra and occasionally forage in meadows and fields.

3. Examine their coloring because unlike their name implies, black bears aren't always black. Black bears in eastern areas are typically black, uniform in color other than a brown muzzle and a white patch on their chest. Western populations can be blond, cinnamon or brown, variegated with black.

4. Note that male Black bears average anywhere from 150 to 500 lb., while females range from 90 to 300 lb. Their weights fluctuate, depending on age, season and available food. Black bears grow to four to seven feet, nose to tail and two to three feet at their shoulders.

5. Notice the Black bear's short, nonretractable claws. They have a superb tree climbing ability.

6. Listen to the bear's sounds, as they have a wide variety of noises. When they're relaxed, they make low grunting noises. When they're scared, they produce a loud blowing noise. Black bears don't growl to threaten.

7. Study the bear's tracks. Black bears are slightly pigeon toed, with overlapping of the hind tracks onto their front tracks. The hind foot's heel pad is long and human like and it's five toes share claws equal in length and evenly spaced.

Tips & Warnings

• Black bears run up to 30 mph, although in winter, when fattened up and have thick coats, they tire out fairly quickly.
• Most Black bears are active just before sunrise, take a couple of naps and sleep an hour or two after sunset. Some Black bears are instead nocturnal, mainly to avoid humans.
• Good swimmers, Black bears can swim more than one-and-a-half miles in fresh water.
• North American Black bears are listed as threatened in southern Mississippi, Louisiana and eastern Texas, under the federal "Endangered Species Act."
• Never approach a Black bear under any circumstances. While some have become less wary of people, they still attack if feeling threatened.