Capabilities
Vision: Bears see in color and have good close-up vision. Distance vision (over 200 yards) untested. Hearing: Exceeds human frequency ranges and is probably twice the sensitivity. Smelling: Smelling ability…
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All Bear Facts
Longevity and Causes of Death
Potential Longevity (lifespan): Black bears can live 21-39 1/2 years or more if they are not killed. Causes of Death: In Minnesota, black bears less than 16-17 months old typically…
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Reproduction
Mating season: Late May through June in northeastern Minnesota but into August in eastern and southern states. Males are ready to mate throughout that period but each female is ready…
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Food and Habitat
Preferred Foods: Nuts, acorns, fruit, insects, succulent greens. Meat and less succulent greens are eaten when preferred foods are scarce. A scarcity of preferred foods can result in failed reproduction,…
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Adaptations for Seasons of Food Scarcity
A stocky body for carrying fat and minimizing heat loss in winter Ability to grow dense insulating fur Ability to accumulate excess fat when food is available and remain healthy…
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Senses and Abilities
Vision: Bears see in color and have sharp vision close-up. Their distance vision (over two hundred yards) has not been tested. Hearing: Hearing is the black bear’s first line of…
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Activities and Social Organization
Daily Activity Period: Most bears become active a half-hour before sunrise, take a nap or two during the day, and bed down for the night an hour or two after…
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How to Age a Bear
The most accurate way to tell the age of a bear is to count the rings in a cross section of a tooth root using a microscope. This cross-section is…
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Skull of a Black Bear
Saggital crest: This protrusion is for attachment of chewing muscles. Animals with a large saggital crest have a powerful bite. The saggital crest is much bigger on male black bears…
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Size and Appearance
General: Black bears are 4 to 7 feet from nose to tail, 2 to 3 feet high at the shoulders, and have small eyes, rounded ears, a long snout, a…
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