black bear

black bear

American black bear (Ursus americanus).

(credit: Leonard Lee Rue III)

Forest-dwelling bear (Ursus americanus) that, despite reductions in population and range, is still the most common North American bear. The adult ranges from 5 to 6 ft (150–180 cm) in length and weighs 200–600 lbs (90–270 kg). It has various colour morphs but always a brown face and usually a white chest mark. It eats animals and vegetation, including pinecones, berries, and roots. It frequently raids campsites and seizes anything edible. Though it may be tamed and taught tricks, it often becomes dangerous when mature.

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black bear

1. American black bear a bear, Euarctos (or Ursus) americanus, inhabiting forests of North America. It is smaller and less ferocious than the brown bear

2. Asiatic black bear a bear, Selenarctos thibetanus, of central and E Asia, whose coat is black with a pale V-shaped mark on the chest