Montana Wildlife - Black Bear
Perhaps the most stirring, and documented animal in the history of man, the bear appears in ancient literature, mythology, cave drawings, and folklore. Unfortunately, many stories surrounding the ferocity of bears do not make the distinction between the grizzly, and its more docile cousin the black bear. Although they prefer higher elevation forests, droppings indicate heavy use of thorn-apple and other fruiting shrubs at lower elevations.
Black bears are very diverse animals, populating much of North America. Their native habitat, although much has been developed, consists of mountainous and wooded ecosystems that stretch from Alaska to Florida, Canada to Mexico. Black bears grow to lengths from four to seven feet nose to tail and two to three feet high at the withers (the highest portion of the back, located between the shoulder blades). They have small eyes, rounded ears, large bodies with shaggy hair, and endless curiosity. Black bear males (boars) will weigh on average around 500 pounds depending on time of year, while females (sows) will weigh in closer to 300 pounds.
Black bears are omnivores, meaning they eat both plant and animal material to sustain themselves, with a large portion of their diet consisting of berries, roots and grubs. They are also however, opportunistic feeders making use of almost any available food source. When fall approaches, black bears must consume large amounts of food in order to gain enough weight to sustain them through their winter hibernation. During this period they rely on stores of body fat for survival. Unlike other smaller animals, black bears are “true” hibernators and extremely efficient in the process. They have the ability to drop not only their body temperature, up to 12 degrees, but their rate of metabolism, by half, as well. They do not need to waken periodically to raise their body temperature, eat or expel waste, like squirrels and chipmunks. Black bears are agile climbers and can often be seen in trees. The black bear name is deceptive; it is a species name and does not refer to their color. The species is predominantly black with tinges of brown, but can also go through different color “phases” of blonde, cinnamon, or honey.
At birth, black bear cubs weigh a half pound to one pound, and depending on the abundance of food may weigh over one hundred sixty-five pounds at the age of 9 months. Cubs usually stay with their mothers for around a year and a half, driven away by the mother a short time before she is ready to mate. Black bear females will typically have a two year interval between their litters. The sex ratio at birth is nearly 50:50, while the ratio between mature bears is often one male per tow to five females.
Potential longevity in black bears can exceed thirty years, and they can have home ranges that will be greater than 15 miles in radius for adult males. Black bears prefer forested areas that contain a variety of fruit and nuts, lowlands and wetlands provide tender vegetation, streams and pools provide water for drinking, and sows prefer large trees (over 20 inches in diameter) for bedding their cubs. The greatest misconception about black bears is that they will attack people in defense of cubs; cub defense is a grizzly bear trait. Researchers have often captured cubs in the presence of mothers who will bluff but not attack, black bear sows have not been known to kill anyone in defense of cubs. The incidence of fatal black bear attacks in North America since 1978 numbers 17, with 11 of those occurring in Canada, and only one in the western United States (Colorado, 1993). By comparison domestic dogs cause on average nineteen fatalities per year, bees, wasps and hornets account for almost fifty per year.
All best,
______________________
Jason Frey
Agent
PureWest, Inc.
jason.frey@purewestproperties.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonfreylifewideopen
No comments:
Post a Comment