Black Bear - NDOW

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Ursus americanus
CLASSIFICATION: Mammal
LIFE SPAN: 3-30 Years
SIZE: 47-79” | 85-900lbs
STATE CONSERVATION STATUS: State Protected
FEDERAL CONSERVATION STATUS: Least Concern
GAME STATUS: Game
GAME TYPE: Big Game

For information and resources for living responsibly in bear country, visit our Living With Bears page here: https://www.ndow.org/blog/living-with-bears/

Washoe
Humboldt
Pershing
Churchill
Mineral
Lyon
Douglas
Carson City
Storey

Elko
Lander
Eureka
White Pine

Esmeralda
Nye
Lincoln
Clark

Habitat & Range

Black Bears are found in the mountainous areas and foothills of the Sierra Nevada and Lake Tahoe areas. Rivers and streams provide a source of food, while forested areas offer cover.

Upland Forests

Threats

Human Conflict

Bear Research

Lessons learned from a 20-year collaborative study on American black bears	View
Evaluation of deterrent techniques and dogs to alter behavior of "nuisance" black bears	View
Carnivores, urban landscapes, and longitudinal studies: a case history of black bears	View
Using Black Bears to Test Ideal-Free Distribution Models Experimentally	View
Rapid ecological and behavioural changes in carnivores: the responses of black bears (Ursus americanus) to altered food	View
Are Desert Basins Effective Barriers to Movements of Relocated Black Bears (Ursus Americanus)?	View
Using Genetic Relatedness to Investigate the Development of Conflict Behavior in Black Bears	View
Recolonizing carnivores: Is cougar predation behaviorally mediated by bears?	View
Bear Historical Ranges Revisited: Documenting the Increase of a Once-Extirpated Population in Nevada	View
Human-Black Bear Conflicts	View
Natural rewilding of the Great Basin: Genetic consequences of recolonization by black bears	View
An apex carnivore's life history mediates a predator cascade	View
Shifting perceptions of risk and reward: Dynamic selection for human development by black bears in the western United States	View
Black bear density and habitat use variation at the Sierra Nevada-Great Basin Desert transition	View
Assimilated diet patterns of American black bears in the Sierra Nevada and western Great Basin, Nevada, USA	View
Risky business: Modeling mortality risk near the urban-wildland interface for a large carnivore	View

Natural History

Black Bears are solitary animals, meeting only for the breeding season. Female Black Bears can have 1 to 5 cubs at a time and can reproduce every other year so long as there is enough food during the fall to support pregnancy. Black Bears are omnivores, though 85% of their diet is plant-based. During the fall, Black Bears go through a period called hyperphagia. During this time, their appetites go into hyper drive. They can consume 8,000 to 20,000 calories each day in order to put on enough fat to hibernate. If a winter is particularly mild or there is enough food in their territory, Black Bears do not have to hibernate. They can also wake during hibernation and move about their den or give birth.

Fun Facts

Black Bears are not always black! They can be dark brown or sometimes even cinnamon in color, but they are still 'Black Bears!' They are also intellegent problem solvers and can even climb trees to snag a meal.