American black bear Ursus americanus If running away from an American black bear, the last thing you want to do is climb a tree – they are expert climbers!
Fortunately, they are less aggressive than some other bear species. Subspecies 16 subspecies. Life span 20-25 years. Statistics Body length: 130-190cm, Weight: male: 60-300kg, female: 40-80kg. Males are 20 to 60 per cent heavier than females. Physical description Black bears tend to be a uniform black colour, but there are also brown, pale blue (glacier bear) and white varieties (kermode bear). They are short-haired and medium-sized, often with a small white patch on the chest. Distribution American black bears inhabit Canada, Mexico and the United States. Habitat They are thought to avoid open areas due to the risk of attack from brown bears and prefer forested areas. Diet Black bears mostly feed on plant matter, such as grasses, herbs, fruits, berries, honey, nuts and seeds, but a small percentage of their diet is made up of animals, such as insects, fish, small mammals, carcasses and rubbish. Behaviour They are solitary except for mothers with cubs, couples during the mating season
