Black Bear

Black Bears

The black bear is the smallest North American bear. The adults are usually less than six feet long and stand about two to three feet tall at shoulders. The weight of a black bear varies between 125-500 ponds. They have small eyes and rounded ears. Also their snout is very long. Each paw has five very strong claws, which is used for tearing, digging, and climbing. One single hit from the front paw is enough to kill an adult deer. A black

Bear is a true carnivore, but if not prevented the black bear could be a huge problem to humans.

A black bear loves to eat fresh leaves, berries, fruits, nuts, roots and also

Insects and small mammals. When fall comes near, a black bear must eat large amounts of food in order to gain enough weight to keep them through winter hibernation. During hibernation when a little bit warmer weather comes near the black bear must awaken and take short excursions outdoors, so they can get a drink or some food. This is so the black bear will be able to go back to sleep easier.

During hibernation a black bear will stay in a cave or some kind of stone

formation. Usually it will be near a creek or stream. The area around the cave will usually have a lot of vegetation. If the cave does not have any water or food around it the black bear will try to find another place to sleep through the winter. That place will have plenty of food and water. During the short excursions outdoors during hibernation the bear looks for replenishments, this is why the bear must be near food and water (Rieffberger 8).

A black bear's habitat usually depends on two factors. One is vegetation

and the other is human activity. A black bear usually is not picky about a place to stay if it has got food and is not too close to human activity. A dense forest under story, which includes brushy territory or a lot of downed trees, which fell due to the weather, usually characterizes a black bear's habitat. Once spring starts coming around, black bears start emerging from their hibernation. They move around the area a lot, because they are looking for a new place which has good cover to stay under and a lot of vegetation a round (Rieffenberger 8).

Black bears are becoming more and more of a problem. If people have

garbage or food that they have thrown out, a black bear may come and get it.

To keep a black bear out of the garbage, you need to get rid of the garbage properly. If you do have a bad bear problem, you should call the West Virginia Division on Natural Resources and they will either trap the black bear or chase it away with the use of trained hounds. If the officer traps the bear, the officer has to fill out a form to tell where it was captured, and what the problem was. Then the officer tags the bears ear and fills out information about the bear itself. When the officer releases the black bear, he has to tell

the date, county, and exact location. After this is done, the officer will be able to if it is the same bear when another black bear is caught and has a tag. The very last resort in getting rid of a black bear is shooting it. If this is the case, a conservation officer will have to be the one to kill the black bear. If any damage is done the person should check and see if the damage is covered by the bear damage compensation. Not all damage is covered. Sometimes no damage at all is covered (Houchins 2). Most problems with black bears are caused by human error. If a person gets rid of their trash and edible products properly, they will most likely not have a problem with black bears (WV DNR).

The mating season for a black bear differs from most animals. Most animal's breed when they are in peak physical condition, but black bears when their body weight is at the lowest for the year and the food is scarce. This is usually in the spring. The birth of a cub usually takes place in the sow's winter den. If it is the bear's first litter, there will often be only one cub, but if it is not she may have two or three cubs. The cub(s) will have a coat of short hair, and their eyes are shut. The cubs are very small in size, usually between six to twelve ounces. The cubs grow rapidly on the rich milk diet. Their eyes remain shut for the first six weeks (Rieffenberger 16).

When cubs are three or four months old they take their first excursion from their mothers side. Under the eye of their mother, the cubs learn what to eat and what not to eat. The cubs are weaned in the late summer or early fall when food becomes very abundant. Usually in September the mother takes the cubs out and teaches them how to find sources of food like berries, fruits, and nuts. Also sources of water and shelter. Around this time the cubs are weighing about 25-65 pounds (Wildlife Biologue). The cubs usually spend their first winter with their mother. Some cubs and their mothers move around all winter and go back to their den on stormy days (Rieffenberger 18).

By June of the cubs second year, they are introduced to the world alone. When the cubs are turned loose their weight usually goes down because of the problem of not being able to find food, but with the help of a long summer and abundant amount of food the cubs will make it all right. The cubs gain weight even more the third summer when they know how to find food better by themselves. When the mother turns the cubs loose in their second summer, it is time for her to mate again (Wildlife Biologue).

To protect black bears from hunters, sanctuaries are established by the D.N.R. These sanctuaries protect the breeding