Ursus americanus, or the American Black Bear is unique to North America. They were here before the European settlers arrived. It is believed that Ursus abstrusus, its ancestor, wandered to North America during one of the early ice ages. They crossed the Bering bridge around 500,000 years ago (humans arrived only 50,00 years ago). The black bear had to compete with other species of bears for habitat so it prefers the forest habitat, unlike the grizzly bear (Ursus arctos, or brown bear) which prefers the more open habitats.

All bears walk plantigrade (walk on the soles of their feet) and have five toes with a curved, tough claw. Bears are considered the largest of the world’s carnivores and there are eight species of bears in the world. The American black bear inhabits only Canada, the United States, and northern Mexico. Black bears appear to be somewhat large and ungraceful, but they are quite the contrary. Black bears have been clocked at running speeds of thirty miles per hour! These bears are very muscular and fast, so you probably could not out run one.

Black bears not only come in the color black, but they can be brown, blue, cinnamon, honey, blond, and white. The Kermode bear is a near-white black bear that lives in an isolated section of west central British Columbia and on some nearby islands. There is also a very rare blue-phase bear known as the glacier bear, which is also found in British Columbia, but farther north and in sections of Alaska.

The sizes of black bears vary from 150 pounds to 600 pounds, although 800 pounds has been recorded. With all four feet on the ground, they stand two to three feet tall and five to six feet in length. They eat a variety of foods including berries, fruits, nuts, grasses, insects, meat, and even carrion. Newborn cubs rely on their mother’s milk for survival. Cubs are born in the den between December and February and weigh six to twelve ounces at birth. They do not open their eyes until about one month and do not begin to walk until two months of age.

Black bears in North Carolina dens in November or December in hollow trees, rock crevices, or piles of leaves. These denning bears can be aroused from their deep sleep quickly, which is not like a true hibernator. Their body temperature only drops about ten degrees and their heart rate and breathing only decline a little bit. True hibernators have a considerable drop in temperature, breathing, and heart rate. The black bear in North Carolina enters a state of dormancy or deep sleep.

Bears often show up in folk stories and on emblems. In 1944, in Lincoln National Forest, New Mexico, a black bear cub was rescued from a forest fire, which was the inspiration for Smokey the Bear. The cure teddy bear was created by Morris Michton, a toy manufacturer, a toy manufacturer, but he got the idea from a cartoon that was drawn by President Roosevelt’s encounter with a bear cub while on a hunting trip. Roosevelt refused to shoot the little bear cub, and this episode became a metaphor for the President’s political mission; hence the cartoon.

The bear was usually associated with great warriors and chieftains. It was thought that by wearing the skin of the bear during battle you would be protected. The bear was also seen in our constellations as Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. It is hard to believe that a creature as great and powerful as the bear was often characterized in the 19th century in many beastly sagas as greedy and gluttonous. If this was not bad enough, the bear also had to answer to charges of lust and sloth. In the Physiologous, the bear is described as “A beast clumsy by nature and unable to run easy like the other beasts, but rather drags itself along slowly. It prefers to bury itself in the ground and to keep itself in a hole, for its limbs are not adapted to convey swiftly such a monstrous body.” Of course, we know that not to be true.

Many people worry about having encounters with bears while they are hiking or camping. If you do encounter a bear, do not feed it or get close to it. Back away slowly making a lot of noise and do not run. Never surround or corner the bear or bears. If you happen to be attacked by the bear, the National Park Service Black Bear Brochure advised to fight back as hard as you can with any object near you. Be as loud and intimidating as you can. They suggest that playing dead is not appropriate. When you are camping or picnicking, keep your site clean and free of food or anything food was stored. You can hang your odiferous items in a tree at least ten feet off the ground and at least four feet away from the trunk or limbs. Never cook or eat food in or near the tent and always pack out your trash.

It is very important that we follow these rules because a bear that becomes reliant on human food and garbage becomes a problem bear. A problem bear quite often becomes a dead bear. Bears are beautiful and exciting and represent to us the real idea of wildness. We can share our wild areas with these incredible animals by using safe practices such as mentioned above.

For more information about bears, contact the Division of Wildlife Management/NC Wildlife Resources Commission, (919) 733-7291, or The Appalachian Bear Center, (423) 448-0143.