They hibernate depending on local weather conditions and availability of food during the winter months. Black bear fur is usually a uniform color except for a brown muzzle. The muzzle has light markings that sometimes appear on their chests. Eastern populations are usually black in color. Western populations often show brown, cinnamon, and blond coloration in addition to black. Black bears with white-bluish fur are known as Kermode or Spirit bears . These unique color phases are only found in coastal British Columbia, Canada.
It is estimated that there are at least 600,000 black bears in North America. In the United States, there are estimated to be over 300,000 individuals. However, the Louisiana black bear (Ursus americanus luteolu) and Florida black bear (Ursus americanus floridanus) are unique subspecies with small populations. The Louisiana black bear is federally listed as a threatened species. The Florida black bear is estimated to number 3,000.
Black bears are extremely adaptable and show a great variation in habitat types However they are primarily found in forested areas with thick ground vegetation and an abundance of fruits, nuts, and vegetation.
Louie is our American black bear, and one of the best-known animals at the zoo. Every day his keepers give him a shower, and Louie makes the most of it — he stands right up on his hind legs and leans into the spray, turning to make sure nothing gets missed. His keepers say it is the best part of their day too.
A short video of Louie in the shower, first posted on our Facebook page, has been watched more than a million times. Here it is:
Come meet Louie and more than 180 other animals at Plumpton Park Zoo in Rising Sun, Maryland — ten minutes from I-95. Hours & Tickets.
The name is only partly true. American black bears come in black, brown, cinnamon, blond, and, in a few coastal populations, white or bluish gray. Color often runs in families and can vary among cubs of the same litter. The other surprise is winter. Black bears do not hibernate the way ground squirrels do; they enter a lighter dormancy in which body temperature drops only a few degrees and the bear can wake if disturbed. In that state a bear may go months without eating, drinking, or relieving itself, living entirely on the fat it built up during a fall feeding frenzy that can add several pounds a day. Females give birth during this period and nurse tiny cubs in the den before spring. Bears in milder climates, or with steady food, may stay active most of the winter.
Black bears are listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, and their numbers in much of the eastern United States, including Maryland, have grown over recent decades as forests recovered. That is a conservation success worth talking about. It also means more people meet bears near their homes, and most problems come down to unsecured trash, bird feeders, and pet food. A bear that learns to associate people with food usually ends up in trouble. Seeing a bear up close and learning how it thinks is one of the best ways to understand why keeping food out of reach protects both people and bears. You can compare this species with its larger European cousin on our European brown bear page and see how northern predators live on our arctic wolf page.
Adult males commonly weigh two to four hundred pounds, with exceptional bears larger than that, and females are smaller. Weight swings a great deal through the year as bears fatten for winter.
Yes, and well. Their short, curved claws are made for gripping bark, and cubs are sent up trees for safety. An adult can climb a tree faster than you might expect.
Mostly plants: berries, nuts, acorns, grasses, and roots, along with insects, honey, and whatever meat they can find or scavenge. They are opportunists, which is why keeping human food secured matters so much in bear country.
Feeding, veterinary care, and enrichment for a large omnivore add up. You can support the animals directly, and you can read about how our keepers keep every species busy on the all animals page.