Guess What is the Biggest Killer of North American Black Bears?
Grizzly Bear by waters edge with fall color background. A game farm in Montana, with animals in natural settings.
Whether you call it a Black Bear or a Brown Bear it is the same North American Black Bear. Well, we can start with their description: From 4-7 feet from one end to the other, and 2-3 feet high at the shoulders. The adult females will go between 100-300 pounds, the bigger males are roughly 500 pounds. Smaller than a Grizzly Bear, bigger than me. That means they get a healthy respect in my book! Keep in mind if they are older, and well fed they may weigh more. which bear is the most dangerous Color can range from a light brown, to cinnamon, to a black.
As it’s name implies, The North American Black Bear is only found in North America. It has a wide range, and it is more and more common to find them in urban settings. Their foods of choice are: succulent greens, nuts, acorns, fruits of all kinds, insects (spiders, scorpions, etc. ), but they will learn to eat out of the garbage if it is readily available.
The female has her cubs in January or February. The cubs stay with mom for around two years. They may have a range of 2-15 miles when their adults. They have poor vision, but excellent smell and hearing to make up for it. Black Bears are great swimmers, and can run up to 30 miles an hour. So if you do have a confrontation running or swimming is definitely out!
You would think with a predator of this size they would have the upper hand. But unfortunately, with the story of the Black Bear we really get to see the impact we have on our environment. Most of the Black Bears are mild mannered, and they get the bad wrap of the crankier Grizzlies. Now, of course there are cases of exception with this. Though in general that bear just wants left alone. The black bear can live over 30 years, but with the human element added in, the average bear lives only between 3-5 years. It is rare for North American Black Bears to die of natural causes. Now, I do not know how you feel about it, but to me this is just sad. We have more of an impact on our world than we think! Preserving the world and all it’s creatures start one at a time in your own backyard.
As we go into autumn all wildlife has one thing on their mind… the need to feed. It is the time of year every critter is thinking about the winter to come. Some families stay together. Some families are splitting up and finding their branch to sit on. Whatever the species, the main thing on their mind is getting enough calories to be as healthy as possible to make it through the coming cold months.
If you can, check your bird feeders more often because you will be seeing more traffic. It is the time of migration for lots of birds, and they need more calories. Hummingbirds have a long way for their tiny little wings to flap. OK, a bit corny but I couldn’t resist. With this in mind remember to keep the dog / cat food put up in the house or garage at night. Another thing that might look good is the trash can. Hey, one mans trash is another mans treasure…right?!? Now with this in mind, go have some cider, stomp through some leaves, and enjoy your autumn!
