Bear News – August 14th 2026

Bear News August 14th- Bear Weights & Scat!

Lucky 435 , Holly 284, Tasha 328

This week begins hyperphagia for our ambassador bears and wild bears in the greater Ely area. At the North American Bear Center, we mimic calorie intake by giving higher calorie food items. This comes in the form of the Mazuri formula bear chow plus protein mix. They also get a larger amount of nuts and fruit to provide them with needed weight for hibernation.

As part of their annual exam, fresh scat was collected from each bear. Their scat reveals what they have been eating and if there is the presence of parasites. All 3 bears tested negative for parasites or worms. The color of the scat is also indicative of what they’ve eaten. We see a lot of brown colored scats from our bears because our bears eat a lot of nuts. Darker scat indicates grasses and ground vegetation. Carnivore scat is dark to black or gray with hair in it. https://bear.org/bear-facts/scat-droppings/

We continue to prepare for the impending arrival of our two new cubs. They will be arriving sometime in mid September with the anticipated arrival date of September 17th or 18th, but the exact time and date is still being worked out. To stay up to date, continue to follow us on Facebook and our website (bear.org) for the most up-to-date info on the cubs arrival. You can help support the cubs by donating at the following link (https://bear.org/support-us/donate/cub-care-donation/).

Please continue to visit our amazon wishlist https://bear.org/support-us/amazon-wishlist-2/ .

Recently I presented a paper for an Ecology class I’ve taken. I have shared it below. I am currently on vacation; I hope you enjoy the paper.

Seed Dispersal Through Scat- The Ecosystem of Northeastern Minnesota and One of its Prime Organisms; the American Black bear (Ursus americanus)

Northeastern Minnesota is a vast land including the Superior National Forest and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. It is unique and is a vital ecosystem to all organisms. One prime organism is the American black bear. (Ursus americanus). The three categories or aspects of the American black bear (Ursus americanus) are:

• Seed dispersal
• Wildfires and Forest regeneration by seed dispersal
• Benefits of scat rich seed to smaller mammals and birds

The American black bear (Ursus americanus) is a large contributor to the ecological species of the Boreal Forest of the Superior National Forest. It is a prime distributor of seeds through its scat. Their journey to eat and search for foods allows free roaming in both forest and non- Forested areas.

Their routes are often guided by males searching for females in late May to early July, lack of food in their own area, and dispersal from the female as a new yearling.

As fruits and vegetation are eaten, not all are digested and some fruits are defecated whole. Some seeds will germinate in the bear’s gut before it is eliminated. The scat also offers a nursery bed for new growth of plants by seed dispersal. Seeds such as raspberry (Rubus idaeus), blackberry (Rubus), sarsaparilla (Smilax aspera), low bush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) and woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca) are easily passed through their digestive system and either are eliminated whole depending upon the volume consumed or as hundreds of seeds.

There are 70 different fruits and berries in northeastern Minnesota. Trees such as Pin Cherry (Prunus pensylvanica) and Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) produce fruit and their seeds are dispersed in large volumes. A black bear will leave a scat about every 45 minutes when eating heavily such as during hyperphagia.

Beaked Hazel (Corylus cornuta), Serviceberry (Amelanchier) and Dogwood (Cornus sanguinea) are bushes and produce edible foods. The seed dispersal accompanies after food passes through the bear’s gut. These are examples of a few known berry producing bushes in this ecosystem.

The regeneration of forests after a wildfire by scat supplies soil replenishment with nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium and seed dispersal through a black bear’s scat.

Wildlife is a natural part of the landscape here in northeastern Minnesota. Currently, (July 21, 2026), there are several active wildfires occurring. Seed dispersal is a vital part of the black bear’s daily job after a fire. Once the fires die, the once thriving forest lies dormant: animals start making their way back in. The black bear as it travels through an area will defecate. The scat contains a variety of vegetative seeds such as: Red Raspberry (Rubus idaeus), Smooth wild rose (Rosa blanda), sarsaparilla (Smilax apera), and Beaked Hazel (Corylus cortuna) are just a few that a bear may leave in its scat. As they walk and defecate, they provide a viable source of plant seed and life for the future of a young growing regenerated forest. The scat also provides nutrients such as nitrogen for leaf and stalk growth, phosphorus for root development and potassium for growth. The soil is replenished by scat deposits. http://natureCanada.ca/blog/the-bear-necessities-.

The scat also benefits smaller mammals such as the Least Chipmunk (Tamias minimus) and the Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris).  As mentioned in the above information, the fruits eaten by the black bear are generally eaten in great amounts. The seeds are quickly digested but not all are gleaned in the gut; those that remain whole are defecated along with the seeds. Small mammals enjoy digging through the scat and finding their next redeemable meal.  Their feces are excreted in many distant areas and may produce fruit. Some seeds are buried or cached and begin their growth under the ground. Song birds such as Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina) and the Black Capped Chickadee (Poecile articapillus) are two of many song birds that pick seeds out of scat. The Common Raven (Corvus corax) also scavenge through the scat looking for their next meal. Again, the seed is in their feces and distributed in other areas too.

In summary, the American black bear is vital to its ecosystem. Seed dispersal through defecation by black bears provides new plant growth in a variety of forested and non-forested area mammals and birds.

Sharon Herrell, Sr. Bear Keeper