Black bear: a medium-sized bear endemic to North America
The black bear is the most common bear found in the forests of North America, including parts of Mexico
There are 16 subspecies of black bears
Size and Weight:
Black bears are the smallest of the three bear species found in North America
Black bears can range from 50 to 80 inches, from nose to tail
Like brown bears, black bears exhibit sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females
Male black bears tend to be anywhere from 20 to 60% larger than female black bears
Males generally weigh between 125 to 500 lbs, while females weigh around 90 to 300 lbs
The heaviest bear on record was found in North Carolina in 1998, weighing in at 880 lbs
While many black bears have black fur, coats can be brown, blond, cinnamon, and in rare cases, even white
Black bears with white fur are known as Kermode bears and are only found in and around the coastal regions of Canada
The black bear is large and robust and has a short tail
Black bears have short, non-retractable claws that enable them to easily climb trees
Cubs can climb trees when they are as young as 6 weeks old
Compared to brown bears, black bears have smaller, more tightly curved claws
Black bears are omnivores
Black bears are especially opportunistic when it comes to eating, and those that live near urban areas will raid garbage cans or bird feeders for food
Eating bears is always a bad idea, as bears that get used to human food can become dangerous
To prepare for hibernation, bears must gain sufficient weight
Gaining enough weight is especially critical for pregnant females to guarantee successful reproduction and the health of her offspring
Malnourished females often have failed pregnancies or newborns that do not survive due to lack of milk
Black bears live in forests that contain a wide variety of fruits and berries, as well as in swamps and wetlands
Females prefer areas with trees for her young to climb while she searches for food
Black bears are highly adaptable and therefore also thrive in and around urban areas, where they are increasingly seen in residential areas where humans and bears overlap
Black bears are found exclusively in North America and, due to their adaptability, are one of the most widely distributed large mammals on the continent
Estimates of their numbers in North America range up to 900,000
Historically, black bears were found throughout the forests of Canada, Alaska, the Lower 48, and parts of Northern Mexico
Today they are still found in parts of Canada, up to 40 states, and small pockets of Northern Mexico
Black bears mate in the summer, from late May to July or August
During this time, females travel extensively around their territory, leaving a scent trail as they move, which males use to monitor the females’ receptivity
Once mated, males and females can stay together for up to nine days, after which they both move on in search of new mates
The young are born in January or February during hibernation
Females wake up for the birth and stay alert enough later during hibernation to care for them in the nest
Black bears have been known to have up to 6 cubs, but most females only have 2
Newborn chicks are blind, toothless, and weigh only a pound
They are born with blue eyes but within a year their eyes turn brown
Black bears are usually solitary animals, except during mating season, and when females are raising cubs
They also spend time in groups when there is an abundance of food in a specific location
Females have home territories of from 1-15 sq miles (3-40 sq km)
Male ranges are much larger, from 15-80 sq miles (39-207 sq km), and typically overlap
Cubs may stay with their mother in her territory until they are 2 or 3 years old, but they are on their own after she mates again, usually in their second year
Black bears are rarely aggressive and often avoid confrontation, especially with humans
Although they are the most common bear in North America, they are the least likely to kill
When they do, it’s more often a male bear than mothers with cubs
Black bears don’t often make noise, but they can communicate with a series of sounds including grunts, chattering teeth, clicking tongues, blowing sounds and moans
Tongue clicking is a common way for bears to communicate with their cubs
Black bears are not classified as true hibernators, but their temperature drops, and their heart rate slows during the winter months when they retreat into caves
The length of time they spend in this state differs depending on food and geography
Black bears lie in various places
Some that live in more urban settings may overwinter in road ditches, storm sewers under streets, or even the crawl spaces under houses
Black bears can live up to 30 years in the wild, and longer in captivity
Loss of habitat and increased fragmentation of bear territories due to human development, overhunting, and accidents involving cars in more urban settings
According to the estimates of 32 states in the United States and 11 provinces in Canada, black bear populations are largely stable
However, there are several subspecies of black bears listed as threatened in their respective states including the Florida black bear (Ursus americanus floridanus) and the Louisiana black bear (Ursus americanus luteonus)
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) works to protect black bears by reducing human-bear conflicts and promoting coexistence between bears and humans, particularly in the western United States
According to WCS, their research “demonstrated that bear behavior can change dramatically with year-round access to litter
In fact, some urban bears will even avoid hibernation altogether when easy access to human food and garbage is available “
This research has resulted in new bear-proof trash can laws in western states like California and Nevada
Sources: the Wildlife Conservation Society and a previous NATURE post
However, not many people know how much some species of bears can weigh
There are many factors that determine a bear’s weight, but the average weight for most bears is between 250 and 500 pounds once the bear has reached maturity This number can vary depending on the time of year and whether or not the bear is pregnant or preparing for hibernation
However, some bears weigh much more or much less than this average
Some smaller species usually do not weigh more than 100 pounds, such as the Sun Bear
However, some larger species can easily exceed 1000 pounds, such as the Polar bear
Below, we’ve highlighted 10 types of bears and how much they weigh so you can get a better idea of the size of these creatures
10 Examples Of Adult Bear Weights What Determines Bear Weight? Biggest Bears Ever Recorded Heaviest Black Bear Heaviest Grizzly Bear Heaviest Kodiak Bear Heaviest Polar Bear
10 Examples Of Adult Bear Weights
Avg Male Weight
Avg Female Weight
Asiatic Black Bear
American Black Bear
What Determines the Weight of a Bear?
Although it is possible to declare a wide range for the weight of a bear, it is not a range that applies to every type of bear throughout the year
There are several different factors that affect a bear’s weight, and all of them must be considered when determining how much a bear weighs or what its potential weight is
Species – The biggest determining factor for the weight of a bear is the species of that bear
A good amount of diversity exists in terms of size between bear species, so this will have a large effect on the bear’s overall weight
Smaller species that don’t need to be big and strong will usually weigh well under 300 pounds, but can even weigh under 100 pounds in some cases
Larger species, which either need extra size to hunt or extra skin and fat to stay warm, can weigh more than 500 pounds, with some species approaching or exceeding 1,000 pounds
Age – Age, of course, will determine how big a bear is
Most bear cubs are born around 1 pound, but quickly begin to grow and gain weight from there
Young bears tend to still weigh less than 100 pounds and really start to gain weight as they approach maturity
As bears age and can no longer hunt as successfully, they may begin to lose some weight; but typically nothing too drastic
Time of year – A bear’s weight fluctuates throughout the year, mostly due to the fact that they hibernate
During the summer, bears will fill up on carbohydrate-rich berries and other foods to bulk up and gain weight
Bears can put on as much as 30 pounds a week during their prime!
This can cause a bear to weigh several hundred pounds more just before hibernation
Additionally, after mating season, female bears will gain several hundred pounds if they have become pregnant
Female polar bears can double in weight during pregnancy!
While most bears will grow around the weights listed in the table above, there will be some outliers
Over the years, there have been some absolutely massive bears that have been recorded, weighing well over the average weight for their species
Heaviest Black Bear
In 1976, a male American black bear was hunted in New Brunswick
It weighed 902 pounds after it was dressed, which means its estimated live weight was right around 1,100 pounds
Its length from tail to nose was 79 feet, which is quite a large length for a black bear
The largest grizzly bear ever hunted was in 2014 in Lone Mountain, Alaska
That specimen stood about 9 feet and was estimated to weigh over 1,600 pounds
A larger skull was found much earlier in 1976, which could certainly belong to a bear weighing more than the 1,600 estimated pounds of the Lone Mountain grizzly
Heaviest Kodiak Bear
A captive Kodiak bear named Clyde, who lived at the Dakota Zoo, weighed 2,130 pounds when he died in 1987
The zoo director estimated that Clyde actually weighed about 2,400 pounds a year earlier when he was healthier
Even in death, however, Clyde had a layer of fat that was 9 inches thick, resulting in him having a fairly high weight for his size
Heaviest Polar Bear
The largest polar bear ever recorded, and subsequently the largest bear on record, was a 2,209 pound male that was hunted in 1960 at Kotzebue Sound, Alaska
This weight is twice what polar bears typically weigh, making this an insane specimen