American black bear
The American black bear (Ursus americanus)[2] is North America's smallest and most common species of bear. Black bears usually live in forested areas, but do leave forests in search of food. Sometimes they become attracted to human activity due to a lack of food. The American black bear is listed by the IUCN as Least Concern, because the species has a large global population estimated to be twice that of all other bear species combined.[1] In the past century, only 37 people have been killed by these animals.
| American black bear | |
|---|---|
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| American black bear in Manitoba's Riding Mountain National Park | |
| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Ursidae |
| Genus: | Ursus |
| Species: | U. americanus
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| Binomial name | |
| Ursus americanus Pallas, 1780
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| Subspecies | |
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16, see text | |
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| American black bear range[1] Present-day range Extirpated | |
| Synonyms | |
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Euarctos americanus | |
American black bears usually hibernate during winter. During this time, the black bear's metabolism and heart rate both decrease in relation to one another.[3] In fact, during hibernation, an American black bear's heart can stop for twenty seconds.[3] The body temperature of black bears also decreases to 31 °C (88 °F) during hibernation.[4] When hibernation is over, the black bear's body temperature returns to normal. Black bears are omnivores (eating both meat and plants). They feed on fish, rodents, rabbits, insects, carrion, fruit, nuts, grass, leaves, honey, deer, and moose calves. Their predators are humans, grizzly bears, and american alligators, while wolves, coyotes, cougars, lynxes, foxes, birds of prey, and even other black bears are predators of black bear cubs.
American Black Bear Media
Black bear Quesnel Lake BC
Black bear Yellowstone NP 2008
American black bear, Parc Omega, Quebec, Canada
Black bear walking through meadow. Corel rights-free image.
Kodiak is a rare Cinnamon colored black bear, male, born in 1999.
Ursus americanus emmonsii
East Mexican black bear (Ursus americanus ssp. eremicus) in Cumbres de Monterrey National Park, Nuevo León, Mexico.
An inquisitive Florida black bear has triggered a remote camera set by biologists. The bear is in the sand pine scrub of the Ocala National Forest, which supports the highest density population of black bears in North America.
American black bear Gros Mornе NFL
Ursus americanus kermodei, Spirit Bear Lodge, Klemtu, BC 1
A female with cubs in Parc Omega, Quebec
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References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Garshelis, D.L., Crider, D. & van Manen, F. (2008). Ursus americanus. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2008. Retrieved on 27 January 2009.
- ↑ "Shenandoah National Park – American Black Bear (U.S. National Park Service)". nps.gov. 2011. Retrieved 17 February 2011.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "BBC News – Hibernating bears studied in unprecedented detail". bbc.co.uk. 2011. Retrieved 17 February 2011.
- ↑ "Yellowstone National Park – Denning and Hibernation Behavior (U.S. National Park Service)". nps.gov. 2011. Retrieved 17 February 2011.
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Wikispecies has information on: Ursus americanus. |