# American Black Bear

*Ursus americanus*

Despite their name, American black bears can be cinnamon, blue-gray, or even white in color depending on their region.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Chordata › Mammalia › Carnivora › Ursidae › Ursus
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** increasing
- **Biome:** forest
- **Habitat:** Densely forested areas with thick undergrowth, including coniferous and deciduous woods, swamps, and mountain slopes.
- **Diet:** Omnivorous: primarily berries, nuts, and vegetation, supplemented by insects, fish, and occasionally small mammals or carrion.
- **Range:** Canada, United States, Mexico
- **Size:** 1.2 to 2 meters in length; weights range from 60 to 270 kg
- **Lifespan:** 20-30 years in the wild
- **Active:** crepuscular
- **Threats:** Habitat fragmentation, vehicle collisions, and human-wildlife conflict due to attractants like garbage.
- **Safe to approach?:** Generally shy and defensive. Maintain a distance of at least 100 yards. If you encounter one, do not run; speak in a calm, low voice and back away slowly. If the bear approaches, stand your ground, make yourself look large, and shout. If attacked, fight back with any available tools or limbs; do not play dead with black bears.

## About

The American black bear ( Ursus americanus ) is a medium-sized bear native to North America.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/f72f149f-a25a-48a9-826b-98070aaf5ee3
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/41638
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ursus americanus
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/184578489/medium.jpg (Jay Pruett, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.