Walk Softly: Black Bears – Our Amazing Neighbours

by Geoffrey Carpentier

There has been much said of bears this year, for they have been making themselves obvious in and around North Durham and the Kawarthas recently. Personally, one visited our yard in West Scugog twice in a matter of a few days this month. The first time, it was searching out my bird feeders and took the liberty of eating all the seeds and essentially destroying my feeder system. So, I did the responsible thing – I took down the feeders. A few days later, the bear came back, probably hoping for more food, and scouted out our yard once again. This time it seemed quite oblivious to our presence as my wife was outside on the deck and got a great view while she watched the Black Bear roam around our yard, inspecting every nook and cranny; she eventually clapped her hands a couple of times to scare it off, and it dutifully left, as it should.

These encounters aren’t as surprising as they might sound since we have a healthy bear population hereabouts. Still, they are generally secretive animals and shy away from humans for the most part. The sightings of late involve bears, which were simply wandering their territories in search of food. So let’s take a minute and explore the bear’s life a bit.

The Black Bear (Ursus americanus) is an apex predator, meaning it is at the top of the food chain and fears few animals other than humans. There are three species of bears in North America, with the Black Bear being the most far-ranging as it inhabits areas across North America from east to west and south to north.

Long-lived (up to 30 years in the wild), males can weigh in at up to 600 lbs (270 kg), while females are generally much smaller. Only one meter tall at the shoulder, they readily stand erect on their hind legs and can tower over prey, as they stand 2.2 meters tall. Having what is known as plantigrade feet, they walk on the soles of their feet like humans, so they can move on all fours as a typical mammal does, or they can walk upright like us. This vertical posture is reserved for times when they feel threatened or are trying to reach prey or food well off the ground. They have long, strong claws, can effectively climb trees, are excellent swimmers and are fast runners when need be (up to 50 km/hr). So, they should never be underestimated!

Black bears tend to be solitary and only tolerate the presence of other bears when the sow attends her cubs or during the mating season when she is in heat. Although they mate in late summer, the eggs are not implanted immediately, and the gestation period (60-70 days) only begins once she enters her winter den. It is in this den that the cubs are born in January or February, when one to three cubs (usually two) are born.

The cubs must immediately find the warmth and food the female offers, or they will perish. For the next 1.5 years, they will stay with her, learning to hunt and being cared for and protected by her. Once the cubs are grown and have been chased off by the female, she will mate again to start the cycle over.

Mostly black, as the name indicates, Black Bears have distinct brown muzzles and sometimes whitish patches on the chest. Western varieties are more colourful and come in shades of tan, brown, cinnamon, blond, blue/gray and even white! Omnivorous, their food is varied and consists of tubers, roots, grasses, flowers, buds, nuts, berries, mushrooms, insects, honey (of course), fish, small and medium-sized mammals, crayfish, clams and carrion.

Bears fatten up during the fall and then ‘hibernate’ in solitary dens, sleeping through most of the long winter. In reality, they don’t hibernate but rather enter a similar state where they can be roused from sleep to protect their young. In true hibernation, they can’t be awakened. During this time, heart, respiration and metabolic rates are all lowered to the thresholds necessary to sustain life and nothing more. In March or early April, they emerge – and they are hungry. Black bears are an essential part of our local landscape; respect them and they will respect us!

Geoff Carpentier is a published author, expedition guide and environmental consultant. Visit Geoff on-line on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.