Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
As already noted, black bears can zip up and down a tree with great rapidity. In the fall they climb
beech trees in search of the highly nutritious beechnuts, which they're exceedingly fond of, and the
parallel claw marks that they leave on the smooth, silvery beech bark are clear evidence that bears have
been there. Bears also make so-called “bears' nests” in beech trees, although these aren't actually nests.
A bear sits in one spot high in the beech tree and reaches out to pull nut-laden branches toward itself.
Many branches and twigs are partially broken in the process, for bears are extremely powerful. The
result is a tangle of branches that, from the ground, somewhat resembles a huge nest.
Meat sources for black bears are usually somewhat limited. They include fawns in the spring, ants
and grubs, and mice and squirrels whenever a bear can dig them out. Frogs and fish are also fair game,
and carrion and garbage, when available, are also part of their diet. Bears have a reputation for possess-
ing a great sweet tooth, but they may actually rip open domestic hives and bee trees more for the bees
and their larvae than for the honey.
One of the hoarier myths about black bears is that they can't run uphill very well because their hind
legs are short, so anyone being chased by a bear should try to escape by racing up a steep slope. Anoth-
er version holds exactly the opposite to be the case: black bears can't run fast
downhill,
because their
hind legs are so short! How these notions ever originated is anyone's guess, but they've been around for
a very long time. In any event, both versions are emphatically untrue. Uphill, downhill, sidehill, or on
the level, a bear can outrun a person with ease. Although bears aren't long-distance runners, for short
distances they can sprint astonishingly fast for what might seem a rolypoly creature. Their top speed is
at least thirty miles an hour and probably more—almost as fast as a white-tailed deer can run!
Another great myth about black bears is that they hoot almost like owls. This particular myth seems
to be confined to portions of northern New England, especially Vermont, since biologists in other parts
of the United States have never heard of it. For years I was told repeatedly that black bears hoot, and
I was puzzled and disturbed by my apparent inability to tell which hoots belonged to barred owls and
which to black bears. When I inquired of this person or that about how one could differentiate between
the hoots of the two, I always received answers that were substantially the same: “They sound a lot
alike, but you can hear the difference if you really listen carefully.”
I listened carefully, over and over, but no matter how hard I tried, they all sounded like barred owls
to me. Then one day I was discussing wildlife myths with Charles Willey, who was the bear biologist
for the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department at that time. “There's one myth I hope you can correct,”
Charlie told me, “and that's the one that bears hoot.”
“You mean that they don't?” I asked him in surprise and not a little relief. He informed me that no
reputable biologist or scientist, even those who have worked closely with hundreds of black bears over
many years, has ever heard or seen a bear hoot. Black bears make a wide variety of sounds—growls,
whines, grunts, rumbles, snorts, woofs, and whuffles among them—but they don't hoot!
Trying to disabuse people of this conviction, however, is a nearly hopeless task. Most who believe
this myth embrace it with an almost religious fervor, and utterly refuse to listen to contrary opinions.
For example, an acquaintance of mine who's a noted ornithologist told me about emerging from his car
