Montshire Minute: Black Bears

Originally aired during the week of May 28, 2001

Monday

As spring moves into summer, black bears emerge from their dens with big appetites. After all they haven't eaten for months! A bear's equivalent of "fast food" can be found in our own backyards - in the form of bird feeders, compost piles or exposed trash bags. In many parts of the northeast, the acorn and beechnut production was down last fall. These nuts are favorite sources of protein for bears. So as the bear population increases, perhaps its not surprising that they seem to show up more and more often in our back yards. Unfortunately, young bears also can learn the habit of browsing at bird feeders from their mothers. Wildlife biologists suggest taking down bird feeders when the snow melts. Garbage should be kept in airtight containers. It's also a good idea to keep meat or other leftovers out of the compost pile when the weather warms up.

Tuesday

Ever hear the saying "better let sleeping bears lie?" You haven't? Oh, right. That should have been "let sleeping DOGS lie." Well, letting sleeping bears lie is good advice, too. Black bears are commonly said to hibernate, but their winter experience is quite different from that of many smaller animals. First, a bear's body does not undergo the drastic changes like that of the red squirrel - its temperature only drops about 9 degrees F below normal. Unlike squirrels, which may wake up every once and a while to eat from a carefully gathered food supply, bears remain inactive throughout the winter. Crawling into a shallow cave, a hollow log, or under a shelf of rock, the black bear burns the fat it builds up over the summer. But the bear's sleep state isn't nearly as deep as that of smaller mammals. So if you see one sleeping, leave it be.

Wednesday

During the winter, sleeping bears don't defecate because the rectum is stopped up by a plug composed of hair, dry leaves, and mucus from the intestines. The plug is expelled in the spring, usually March or April. Bears may appear to be in good condition in the early spring, but will rapidly lose weight as they spend energy looking for food. This explains bears' ravenous nature this time of year as they try to rapidly build up their calorie intake. Bears are omnivores. That means they'll eat just about anything - early green vegetation, grubs, insects, berries, beechnuts, leaves of hardwood trees, frogs, fish, mice... well, I'm running out of time here. The point is they aren't fussy eaters, And they won't turn up their nose at an easy meal like seed and suet set out in birdfeeders.

Thursday

The breeding season for black bears is from early June to mid-July. Female bears, or sows, will usually mate once every two years. The gestation period is about 7 months, so the baby bear won't be born until late January or February. The sow will give birth to anywhere from one to five cubs (usually two). The tiny cubs are born blind, nearly hairless, and weigh only about half a pound at most. The newborn nestles into mom's warm fur as she sleeps the rest of the winter away. A young bear gets big fast. A seven-ounce cub may weigh five pounds when it emerges from the den a few months after birth. Now that's a growth spurt! You can learn more "bear facts" when you join Montshire and Alcott Smith for an adventurous day in bear country, Saturday, June 2. We'll be looking for signs of black bear and other animals. Call the Museum for details!

Friday

Maybe you've never seen a black bear. But if you spend any time in the woods, chances are you've seen signs that ablack bear has been there. Bears love insects. A large log or stone overturned, or a decayed stump torn apart, may be clues that a bear has been feeding on ants, grubs, or insect larvae. You may also see a berry patch torn up as if a mini-tornado passed through. Yup, a bear. Black bears also like to mark trees with their teeth or claws. These "bear trees" may be signs that a bear is marking its territory. The higher the claw slashes the bigger the bear! Rub marks on trees with shaggy bark indicate where bears have scratched themselves. You can learn more about black bears when you join Montshire and Alcott Smith for an adventurous day in bear country, Saturday, June 2. We'll be looking for signs of black bear and other animals. Call the Museum for details!