NORTH AMERICAN BLACK BEAR
South Carolina
State Park Service
The North Carolina Collection, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Ursus americanus
Class: Mammal
Family: Ursidae
Size: weight = 200-600 lbs length 5-6 feet height=2.5-3 feet at shoulder
Habitat: mountainous areas, forests, and swamps
Diet: omnivorous-eats plants and meat; mainly berries, nuts, grasses, fish, insects, and some small mammals
Life Span: 10-20 years in the wild
Bear Necessities:
Black bears are the most common and most widely distributed of all species of bears found in North America.
Black bears can run up to 35 mph and are excellent swimmers.
Black bears have a great sense of smell.
Black bears are the smallest of the 3 bear species found in North America.
LEGEND
Photo by Kendle Enter
This bear is manipulating a PVC Puzzler, an enrick- ment item, to eat some treats. Enrichment is the use of differ- ent items, smells, sounds, sidets, tastes, and textures in the animals habitats to encourreg them to interact with their sur rounding and use natural skills such as stalking, pouncing forneing, dreging, and clawing,