AMERICAN BLACK BEAR
(Ursus americanus)
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Tracks
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48k
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Mass: 120 to 150 kg (256 to 330 lbs.)
Length: 5 to 6 ft.
Biomes: taiga, temperate forest & rainforest, chaparral, mountains
Status: no special status.
Range: The black bear can be found from northern Alaska east across Canada to Labrador and Newfoundland, and south through much of Alaska, virtually all of Canada, and most of the U.S. into central Mexico (Nayarit and Tamaulipas states).
Hiker's Note:
Ursus americanus is usually black in color, although it may be brown, reddish, yellowish, or cream-colored. It once lived throughout most of North America, but hunting and agriculture drove them into heavily forested areas, where about 75,000 to 80,000 survive. Residual populations survive over much of the range in sparsely populated wooded regions and under protection in National parks. They are numerous and thriving.
Black bears can run as fast as 25 miles per hour while they chase prey, and they are skillful tree climbers. Some bears have become troublesome around camps and cabins if food is left in their reach. Black bears have severely injured and sometimes even killed campers or travelers who feed them, however they are normally timid and secretive and rarely are dangerous unless wounded or cornered. They are often captured and tamed.
Front paw track ranges from 4 to 5 inches in length (10 - 13 cm); human-like rear track is from 6 to 9 inches in length (15 - 18 cm). Black Bear tracks can be differentiated from the Grizzly Bear by evidence of smaller claw markings in the Black Bear print.
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