Sociable Sounds
In the wild, bears make a plaintive sound when they want to make friendly contact, take food from a bear they know, or nurse. Mothers grunt when they approach their…
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All Bear Facts
Vocalizations and Body Language
Black bears use sounds, body language, and scent-marking to express their emotions of the moment. The main thing that helped me get over my fear of bears was learning their…
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How Do Black Bears Respond to Mosquitoes?
Black bears mostly ignore mosquitoes. They seldom bother to wipe mosquitoes off their faces. Fur usually prevents mosquitoes from reaching the skin except on the face, ears, and edges of…
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How Do Black Bears Respond to Deer Flies and Horse Flies?
This black bear is trying to slap a deer fly (in the white circle). Deer flies and horse flies bite hard. Bears shake their heads when these flies bite their…
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How Do Black Bears Respond to Ticks?
The only ticks found on black bears in northeastern Minnesota are dog ticks, also known as wood ticks (Dermacentor variabilis), and rarely winter ticks (D. albipictis). Dog ticks are found…
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How Do Black Bears Respond to Wind?
The black bear’s typical response to danger is to run or climb. Wind makes black bears nervous. It sounds like danger rustling in all directions. On windy days, they are…
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How Do Black Bears Respond to Thunder and Lightning?
Black bears often climb trees during thunderstorms. Around Ely, mothers with cubs often bed beneath big white pines at night and climb them for “safety” in thunderstorms. Although these trees…
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How Do Black Bears Respond to Menstrual Odors?
Despite a widespread misconception that menstrual odors attract black and grizzly bears and precipitate attacks, there is no evidence for this. The misconception began in 1967 when grizzly bears killed…
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How Do Black Bears Respond to Bright Sunlight?
Black bears with black fur avoid open sun. Black fur absorbs sunlight. Black pigs can absorb 90% more solar energy than white ones (Kelley et al. 1954). This might help…
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How Do Black Bears Respond to Mirrors?
Self awareness is a measure of intelligence. A captive chimpanzee reportedly sat in front of a mirror in a cage and eventually touched a dot on its forehead, showing that…
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