Black Bear
Ursus americanus
Appearance
Black bears can be black, brown (cinnamon bear), white (kermode bear) and even blue (glacier bear). They are shorter and rounder than grizzly bears and have bigger ears and longer faces. Black bears can run at speeds of up to 40 kilometers per hour and can weigh up to 270 kilograms. If standing, they can be over two meters tall!
Range & Habitat
The males travel up to 25 kilometres daily looking for food, with trips of over 150 kilometres being recorded. They are found in all sorts of habitats, but mostly below the tree line. During their winter torpor (bear's aren't true hibernators), bears make their homes in fallen logs, dens, caves and in large tree holes. These bears can be found in all ecoprovinces of B.C.
Reciprocal Connections
Black bears and Pacific salmon play an important part in maintaining our forest ecosystems. When salmon swim back home in the fall, black bears are below waterfalls or downstream awaiting a catch. They eat about 15 salmon per day when the salmon are spawning. They don’t eat all the salmon though! Their favourite parts are the brains, eggs, and back muscles because they’re full of calories and produce the most energy. The remaining parts of the salmon are left in the stream and help recycle nutrients back into western red cedars, Douglas fir trees, and more!
The rest of the year bears eat mostly plants including roots, leaves, berries, but they also eat insects. Due to human interactions, bears can occasionally be found on the outskirts of urban areas looking for food in garbage cans and backyards. Remember to be diligent and bear proof any food when camping in the summer, because the black bear is a curious type!
Hunting by humans is the leading cause of death in adult bears of all species. One thing people should do to prevent bear deaths is store food in areas bears cannot access it. Once bears become conditioned to find food near humans, they get more comfortable around human areas leading to conflict. This means there's a higher likelihood the bear will need to be relocated or euthanized.
The rest of the year bears eat mostly plants including roots, leaves, berries, but they also eat insects. Due to human interactions, bears can occasionally be found on the outskirts of urban areas looking for food in garbage cans and backyards. Remember to be diligent and bear proof any food when camping in the summer, because the black bear is a curious type!
Hunting by humans is the leading cause of death in adult bears of all species. One thing people should do to prevent bear deaths is store food in areas bears cannot access it. Once bears become conditioned to find food near humans, they get more comfortable around human areas leading to conflict. This means there's a higher likelihood the bear will need to be relocated or euthanized.
More Information
If you belong to a First Nation with a story or piece of information not represented here and you would like to share more about this species, please email us at education@sierraclub.bc.ca.
