Animal field guide
American Black Bear
Ursus americanus
The American Black Bear runs its whole year on what the season offers — green shoots in spring, insects in summer, then a single-minded autumn of eating up to twenty thousand calories a day before denning. It is not one strategy but four, in order.
AnimalDex card
Unlock this animal card
Scan or capture this animal with AnimalDex to reveal its collectible card and add it to your wildlife collection.
Get AnimalDexAmerican Black Bear at a glance
Mammal · Native range keys: north_america · Relatively common
Known for: Heavy-bodied bear with no shoulder hump, Straight facial profile and relatively short claws, Colour ranges from black through cinnamon to blond, Climbs readily
Understand the animal
Understand the American Black Bear
Factual biology first: what this animal is like, where it lives, how it survives, and why those traits exist.
01
Introduction to American Black Bear
The American Black Bear runs its whole year on what the season offers — green shoots in spring, insects in summer, then a single-minded autumn of eating up to twenty thousand calories a day before denning. It is not one strategy but four, in order.
How to identify a American Black Bear
- Heavy-bodied bear with no shoulder hump, unlike a Grizzly
- Straight facial profile and relatively short claws built for climbing
- Colour ranges from black through cinnamon to blond and near-white
- Climbs readily, including full-grown adults
Why American Black Bear are interesting
- In autumn hyperphagia it may take in as much as 20,000 calories a day, adding a third to its body weight before denning.
- During winter dormancy it does not eat, drink, urinate or defecate for months, and recycles urea into protein rather than losing muscle.
- Cubs are born tiny and blind in the den in midwinter while the mother is dormant.
- Despite the name a black bear may be cinnamon, blond, blue-grey or white — the white Kermode bears of coastal British Columbia are the same species.
- Short curved claws make it a much better climber than a Grizzly, and cubs go up a tree at the first sign of trouble.
02
Adaptations and biological abilities
03
Why does American Black Bear behave this way?
- Heavy-bodied bear with no shoulder hump, unlike a Grizzly
- Straight facial profile and relatively short claws built for climbing
- Colour ranges from black through cinnamon to blond and near-white
- Climbs readily, including full-grown adults
Active by day and night depending on season and disturbance, and dormant in a den for anything from a few weeks to seven months depending on latitude.
04
Why Native range keys: north_america. Forest of almost every type across North America?
Habitat: Native range keys: north_america. Forest of almost every type across North America, from boreal spruce to Appalachian hardwood to Mexican pine-oak, plus swamp and increasingly the edges of towns. What is needed is trees, seasonal food and a den site.
Native range: Native range keys: north_america. Forest of almost every type across North America, from boreal spruce to Appalachian hardwood to Mexican pine-oak, plus swamp and increasingly the edges of towns. What is needed is trees, seasonal food and a den site.
Native range
Natural range, not this specific capture location.
Native range keys: north_america. Forest of almost every type across North America, from boreal spruce to Appalachian hardwood to Mexican pine-oak, plus swamp and increasingly the edges of towns. What is needed is trees, seasonal food and a den site.
05
Why this diet?
Mostly plants — shoots, berries, acorns and nuts — plus insects, carrion, fish and, opportunistically, human food. The composition shifts completely across the year, which is the whole point: nothing on that list is available all twelve months.
06
Activity, rest, and lifespan
Active by day and night depending on season and disturbance, and dormant in a den for anything from a few weeks to seven months depending on latitude.
Around twenty years in the wild, and over thirty in captivity.
07
American Black Bear reproduction
One to five cubs born in the den in January or February, weighing under half a kilogram. They stay with the mother through the following winter and disperse in their second year.
Males are substantially larger, often half again the weight of females, but there is no difference in colour or markings.
08
Predators, threats, and defense
09
Conservation and rarity
Rarity: Relatively common · 12/100. AnimalDex canonical rarity score: 12/100, maintained by the live indexed species profile.
- Observe from a respectful distance and avoid changing the animal's behavior.
- Do not block feeding, shelter, nesting, or travel routes.
- Use a live camera capture without handling or staging wildlife.
Ask AnimalDex
Ask AnimalDex about the American Black Bear
Ask about its biology, behavior, abilities, survival strategy, symbolism, or what its strategy can teach you. Answers stay grounded in this species page.
Anonymous: 3/day. Signed-in: 10/day. Pro: 30/day fair use.
Compare
Compare the American Black Bear
Where to find them
Where to find American Black Bear
To find American Black Bear in the wild, focus on the exact habitat patches that match its body design and daily behavior, not just the broad country where it exists. You usually do better by working one good piece of habitat inside native range keys: north_america. Forest of almost every type across North America, from boreal spruce to Appalachian hardwood to Mexican pine-oak, plus swamp and increasingly the edges of towns. What is needed is trees, seasonal food and a den site. than by covering too much ground.
- Quiet marsh edges, reedbeds, river bends, or shallow wetland margins
- Forest edge, canopy gaps, fruiting trees, or shaded trails where cover and food meet
- Headlands, reef edges, island colonies, tidal channels, or productive coastal water
Animal field guide
American Black Bear
The American Black Bear runs its whole year on what the season offers — green shoots in spring, insects in summer, then a single-minded autumn of eating up to twenty thousand calories a day before denning. It is not one strategy but four, in order.
Native range
Natural range, not this capture location
Native range keys: north_america. Forest of almost every type across North America, from boreal spruce to Appalachian hardwood to Mexican pine-oak, plus swamp and increasingly the edges of towns. What is needed is trees, seasonal food and a den site.
Search near meAnimalDex stats
Dominance
70
Speed
40
Size
55
Intelligence
42
Rarity
12%
Total
219
Size scale
Scientific name
Ursus americanus
Category
Mammal
Habitat
Native range keys: north_america. Forest of almost every type across North America, from boreal spruce to Appalachian hardwood to Mexican pine-oak, plus swamp and increasingly the edges of towns. What is needed is trees, seasonal food and a den site.
Rarity
Relatively common · 12/100
Native range
Native range keys: north_america. Forest of almost every type across North America, from boreal spruce to Appalachian hardwood to Mexican pine-oak, plus swamp and increasingly the edges of towns. What is needed is trees, seasonal food and a den site.
Take the encyclopedia outside
AnimalDex helps you scan real animals, identify species, collect cards, and learn from nature wherever you are.