Guide to Wildlife Identification
Black Bear
(Usus americanus)
Black bears are solitary animals, but cubs remain with
the sow for a year or more. Black bears are opportunistic omnivores, like
grizzlies, but tend to eat more vegetative matter. Foods are varied and
include fruit-bearing shrubs, lush grasses, roots, clover and other succulent
plants; salmon and other fish; rodents; insects and their larvae; carrion
and the young of other mammals, including livestock. On occasion, adult
animals are also eaten.
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