Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Black bear
THE BLACK BEAR
The black bear
(Ursus americanus)
and its brown phase, the cinnamon bear, are by far our commonest
bears. Current estimates of their population run around 750,000, with approximately 100,000 in Alaska
alone, so there's most assuredly no shortage of this species; in fact, black bears are actually increas-
ing in many areas. The black bear is also the smallest of our three native bears: even though a very
few extraordinarily big, fat specimens exceed eight hundred pounds, those are no more the norm than
seven-foot-two-inch basketball players or 325-pound football linemen are typical of humans. Adult
black bears commonly range from 150 to four hundred pounds, with the vast majority three hundred
pounds or less.
Normally extremely shy and reclusive, black bears usually flee at the first sign of a human. But these
animals can also become habituated to people rather quickly, and therein lies a major problem. Black
bears—or, more properly, people fascinated by black bears—are the bane of park rangers and other
public lands officials. Despite every warning, ignorant individuals persist in thinking that black bears
begging for handouts along roadsides and in parking lots and campgrounds are tame—a sort of hybrid
composed of equal parts Yogi Bear, Gentle Ben, and a child's teddy bear. In fact, these bears are ex-
tremely dangerous because, while not tame, they've lost their fear of humans.
Every year people are injured, some seriously, when they try to feed bears, despite all the warning
signs and lectures. Worse yet, I've heard horrific tales from thoroughly reliable sources about people
who have tried to take pictures of their children with a bear—and have even attempted to put their child
on a bear's back!
Conflict between black bears and humans in such places as parks and campgrounds is hardly new,
although the growing popularity of travel to these spots has certainly exacerbated the situation. In the
