Black Bear
The American black bear is the smallest of the three bear species found in North American, and are found only in North America.
American black bears are omnivorous: plants, fruits, nuts, insects, honey, salmon, small mammals and carrion. In northern regions, they eat spawning salmon. Black bears will occasionally kill young deer or moose calves.
Black bears mating season is summer and gestation period is 63-70 days. A female black bear will have a litter size of 1-6 cubs; 2 cubs are most common. Cubs remain with the mother for a year and a half or more, even though they are weaned at 6-8 months of age. Females only reproduce every second year (or more). Should the young die for some reason, the female may reproduce again after only one year.
American black bears are omnivorous: plants, fruits, nuts, insects, honey, salmon, small mammals and carrion. In northern regions, they eat spawning salmon. Black bears will occasionally kill young deer or moose calves.
Black bears mating season is summer and gestation period is 63-70 days. A female black bear will have a litter size of 1-6 cubs; 2 cubs are most common. Cubs remain with the mother for a year and a half or more, even though they are weaned at 6-8 months of age. Females only reproduce every second year (or more). Should the young die for some reason, the female may reproduce again after only one year.
Fun Facts
They may be called black bears, but their coat can be blue-gray or blue-black, brown and sometimes white Short claws make black bears expert tree climbers.
scientific classification
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Mammalia
Order
Carnivora
Family
Ursidae
Genus
Ursus
Species
Ursus Americanus
did you know?
Black bears spend winter dormant in their dens, feeding on body fat they have built up over the summer and autumn.
They mostly eat grasses, herbs and fruit, but will sometimes eat other things, including fish.
They may be large, but black bears can run up to 40km/h.
Where to find us
Safari Niagara is home to three black bears named Bertha, Little Ben and Belzy. Our Black bear exhibit can be found in close proximity to Tram Stop #4.
