Black Bear Box Manual Section 1

Transcription

1 Black Bear Box Manual Section 1 North American Bear Center

2 Educational Outreach Introduction During my four decades of scientific research, I came to realize how many misconceptions exist about black bears. Now, a team of educators is working with the North American Center to replace those misconceptions with current scientific information. Together, we are developing curriculum that meets state and Common Core Standards and are working to provide that curriculum to schools, homes, summer camps, and anyone who wants to learn worldwide. This science-based curriculum differs greatly from the usual sensationalized hype we have all heard for so long. I feel deep respect and gratitude toward these educators who are helping both people and bears in this way. Lynn Rogers, Ph.D. Chair, North American Bear Center Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute Ely, Minnesota Educational Outreach History The Educational Outreach Program was born in the den of a wild black bear near Ely, Minnesota. The bear, Lily, is part of the Wildlife Research Institute s long-term study of black bear behavior and ecology. When researchers placed a webcam in her den on January 8, 2010, she immediately became a worldwide Internet sensation. On January 22, tens of thousands watched as she gave birth to a 12-ounce cub named Hope. Soon, hundreds of thousands, including hundred of classrooms, were following her life and the lives of her offspring through den cams, video, and daily research updates on bear.org. That interest led talented educators to develop curriculum for distribution through the Educational Outreach Program. Replacing misconceptions with scientific facts helps people and bears to better co-exist.

3 BLACK BEAR BOX CHECKLIST Level: 7-12 SMALL BOX 1: INFORMATION CARD: 'In this container you will find' list, including information on Black Bear Hair INFORMATION CARD: Black Bear Scat INFORMATION CARD: Black Bear Track Mold INFORMATION CARD: How Do Bears Respond to Bright Sunlight? Container with Honey s Hair Section of Underfur (small) Section of Bear Hide Black Bear Claw (replica) Black Bear Scat in container (large; oven-dried) Black Bear Scat in Magnifying Box (small) Black Bear Scat (resin replica of juvenile scat) Black Bear Track Mold (yearling, rear) to make Casts SMALL BOX 2: INFORMATION CARD: Black Bear Tracks INFORMATION CARD: Black Bear Paws Black Bear Track Mold (yearling, rear - hard resin) Black Bear Track Replicas (yearling, front and back) Black Bear Track Replica (adult, front) LARGE BOX: * Bear Skull (replica) INFORMATION CARD: Skull of a Black Bear DVD's: Bearwalker of the Northwoods Wildlife Research Institute DVD Den Viewing: Thermal Imaging, Digging Den, Early Days in Den, Labor and Delivery, Last Days in Den; Foraging for Food: Animal Matter, Ants, Berries, Hazelnuts, Tent Caterpillars, Vegetation; Language: Amiable, Bluff Charge, Nervous Behavior; Marking; Mating Battle; Finding and Defending Mates; Play; How Mothers Raise Cubs North American Bear Center's Ted and Lucky (DVD) (for entertainment)

4 ABC's of Black Bears ppt. (CD) Hibernation Metabolism in American Black Bears ppt.(cd) BOOKS: Bear-ology: Fascinating Bear Facts, Tales and Trivia by Sylvia Dolson Wild Guide: BEARS by Charles Fergus (book) ACTIVITIES: Black Bears Scramble Squares Challenge Puzzle 'Get Bear Smart' Playing Cards (for kids of all ages) LARGE PLASTIC SLEEVE 10 Black Bear Facts Posters Shadow s Clan Family Tree Envelope: Black Bear Tracking Stencils (3) Fact Sheets: Understanding Gaits and Track Patterns, Natural History of Black Bears * 'A Black Bear's Woodland Menu' (Poster) * 2011 Wildlife Research Institute Research Bears Calendar

5 The North American Bear Center Ely, Minnesota The most common expression we hear from first-time visitors as they step inside the door of the Bear Center is Wow! That s because we put our resources and energies into creating a welcoming interior full of educational displays. The educational goal of the Bear Center is to replace myths about bears with reality. A wall of natural wood and a huge mural depicting area wildlife greet Bear Center visitors. Both black and brown/grizzly bear mounts in natural poses add to the mood. A huge life-size replica of a short-face bear skeleton dominates the main exhibit area. A wall of windows overlooks the bear enclosure with its pond and waterfalls. The windows blanket the building with natural light, drawing visitors in. Subtle background sounds of bears foraging, cubs nursing, and birds singing fill the air all natural sounds that come from the 30+ TVs playing high-definition video footage of wild black bears and wild brown/grizzly bears as they go abut their daily activities. The Bear Center also features a theater playing the best in bear videos. The Cub Room beckons kids of all ages as they walk in the door. A large-screen TV in the Cub Room continuously plays video footage of a wild black bear mother and cub playing. Another TV shows a wild black bear digging a den and pulling out a rock. The rock is on display for kids to test their strength against. How strong is that bear?

6 The Cub Room also has a bear den kids can crawl in, a loft with pillows and books, a carved wooden bear, educational posters and displays, a light table, and an activity table. Kids are drawn to the short-faced bear skeleton and marvel at its size! The Bear Center walls went up in June 2006, and we opened our doors to the public in early May The displays and exhibits were created by many dedicated volunteers, each with a passion for bears. Efforts were concentrated on educational exhibits, the captive bear enclosure, and the gift shop area. Our exterior will get a boost soon when a log canopy is erected over the entry. The bear Center is also home to three captive black bears living in a forested 2-acre enclosure. The captive bears are Ted, a 13-year-old male; Honey, a 14-year-old female; and Lucky, a 3-year-old male; Ted is black and is the largest black bear in Minnesota, weighing 860 pounds on November 12, 2007, and perhaps the largest black bear in the world. Honey is brown and might be the prettiest bear in Minnesota. Lucky came to us as a cub in July of 2007, and we think he is the cutest bear in Minnesota. These bears can be viewed from the indoor viewing windows or the outdoor viewing balcony both offering an excellent view of the pond and waterfall area that the bears frequent.

7 Why Do We Fear Bears? Excessive Warnings About Attacks Attacks are rare, and excessive warnings about them create unnecessary fear. Balanced and factual information about bears is hard to find. Providing that information is the main goal of the North American Bear Center where the bears themselves provide much of the information through video footage and research data. In national parks many warnings are written by attorneys concerned about liability. The warnings often are excessive and too general to be educational. They usually do not distinguish between black and grizzly bears. A well-known wildlife information center said that fear of lawsuits limits their bear information, which consists primarily of warnings. Once warnings and advice are in print, wellmeaning educators often repeat them in presentations, brochures, books, etc. Some authors and television producers emphasize danger because fear sells. Images vs Reality Outdoor magazine artists typically depict bears as startled, angry, charging, or attacking. All typically are shown with their lips drawn back in some unnatural expression of supposed anger. The same is true for bears depicted as entering tents and houses. Hunters, researchers, and rural homeowners who have encountered hundreds of real bears laugh at the unreality. Bears are not like cats and dogs that bare their teeth when they feel defensive. Bears typically run away, climb for safety, or show harmless bluster with no effort to show their teeth. Instead of baring their teeth, black bears signal that they are uneasy by making the muzzle long and narrow. Sometimes black bears exhibit harmless bluster like this bear is doing. It is lunging And slamming its front feet down while blowing explosively. Its muzzle is long and narrow, showing it is upset, but it is making no effort to show its teeth. continued

8 This wild bear was part of a study to learn the meanings of black bear vocalizations and body language and to learn whether blustery behavior was a prelude to an attack or simply an expression of nervousness by the bear. The study showed conclusively that blustery behavior is not a prelude to attack or a sign of aggressiveness. It simply means the bear is nervous. Do Bears Really Snarl? Do bears really snarl like we see in taxidermy? No. Bears don t snarl like cats and dogs do. Misleading, angrylooking images increase fear and cause unnecessary killing worldwide. People will not coexist with animals they fear. Bears as Imaginary Dragons There may be something within us that wants to imagine dangerous animals to prove our courage against. People use to imagine dragons. Today, outdoor writers, artists, and others profit by demonizing bears. They exaggerate danger, creating fantasies of courage that sell magazines, art, bear hunting trips, and more. Many people accept these exaggerations and develop a deep fear of bears. Believing that bears must be killed to protect life and property, they have eliminated bears from many part of their former range. Fear and habitat loss have driven some bear species to the verge of extinction. The exaggerations continue today. Fear of the Unknown When it comes to bears, most people err on the side of caution. Many people accept media exaggerations of bear danger and develop deeply ingrained fears, making no differentiation between black bears and grizzly bears, which are 26 times more likely to kill someone. Probably the only way people can get past their fear of black bears is by getting to know wild individuals. However, many people who could meet wild black bears avoid them because they want nothing to do with animals they fear. We hope the information provided through the North American Bear Center Educational Outreach program reveals more about black bear behavior and how black bears really live.

9 Classification of Ursus americanus Kingdom: Animal Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Subclass: Theria Infraclass: Eutheria Order: Carnivora Suborder: Fissipedia Family: Ursidae Subfamily: Ursinae (all living bears except giant panda and the spectacled bear) Genus: Ursus Subgenus: Euarctos Species: americanus Taxonomists currently separate black bears into the following 16 subspecies based on minor differences in appearance and DNA. Some of them have common names like Kermode bear, cinnamon bear, and glacier bear, but they are all black bears. Ursus americanus altifrontalis (U.S. Pacific Northwest) U. a. amblyceps (Southwestern U.S.) U. a. americanus (widespread from Alaska to the Atlantic) U. a. californiensis (interior California) U. a. carlottae (Queen Charlotte islands of British Columbia) U. a. cinnamomum (the cinnamon bear; WY, eastern CO, ID, western MT, southwestern Alberta, southeastern BC) U. a. emmonsii (the glacier bear; Alaska coast from Glacier Bay to Prince William Sound and adjacent inland area) U. a. eremicus (northeastern Mexico, Big Bend area of Texas) U. a. floridanus (FL, southern GA, southern AL) U. a. hamiltoni (Newfoundland) U. a. kermodei (the Kermode bear; coastal BC from Prince Rupert to Princess Royale Island, and adjacent inland BC) U. a. luteolus (southern LA, and southern MS) U. a. machetes (northwestern Mexico) U. a. perniger (Kenai Peninsula of AK) U. a. pugnax (southeastern Alaska) U. a. vancouveri (Vancouver Island) Copyright 2010 North American Bear Center

10 Black Bear Range Historical Range (a) 1995 Range (b) Black bears historically ranged over most of the forested regions of North America, including all Canadian provinces, Alaska, all states in the conterminous United States, and significant portions of northern Mexico (Hall 1981). Their current distribution is restricted to relatively undisturbed forested regions (Pelton 1982; Pelton et al. 1994). Black bears can still be found throughout Canada with the exception of Prince Edward Island (extirpated in 1937), and in at least 40 of the 50 states; their status in Mexico is uncertain (Leopold 1959). In the eastern United States black bear range is continuous throughout New England but becomes increasingly fragmented from the mid-atlantic down through the Southeast (Maehr 1984). In the Southeast, most populations are now restricted to the Appalachian mountain chain or to coastal areas intermittently in all states from Virginia to Louisiana (J. Wooding, Florida Freshwater Fish and Game Commission, unpublished data). Above excerpted from: Vaughan, M.R., and M.R. Pelton Black bears in North America, pages in E.T. LaRoe III, ed. Our Living Resources. USDI-NBS, Washington, D.C. References Hall, E.R The mammals of North American 2nd ed. John Wiley and Sons. New York pp. Leopold, A.S Wildlife of Mexico. University of California Press. Berkley. 608 pp. Maehr, D.S Distribution of black bears in eastern North America. Eastern Workshop on Black Bear Research and Management 7:74. Pelton, M.R Black bear. Pages in J.A. Chapman and G.A. Feldhamer, eds. Wild mammals of North America: biology, management, and economics. John Hopkins University Press. Baltimore and London. (continued on back) Pelton, M.R., F. vanmanen, A. Coley, K. Weaver, J. Pedersen, and T. Eason Black bear conservation action plan North America. IUCN/SSC Bear Specialist Group Tech. Rep. In press. Range Map Notes a modified from Hall 1981 b based on survey responses from provinces and states (Pelton 1994) and research projects in Mexico (D. Doan, Texas A & I Univ., pers. comm.) North American Bear Center

11 Quick Black Bear Facts by Lynn L. Rogers, PhD from Watchable Wildlife: The Black Bear updated February 3, 2002 Folklore: Perhaps no other animals have so excited the human imagination as bears. References to bears are found in ancient and modern literature, folk songs, legends, mythology, children stories, and cartoons. Bears are among the first animals that children learn to recognize. Bear folklore is confusing because it is based on caricatures, with Teddy Bears and the kindly Smoky on one hand and ferocious magazine cover drawings on the other. Dominant themes of our folklore are fear of the unknown and man against nature, and bears have traditionally been portrayed as the villains to support those themes, unfairly demonizing them to the public. A problem for black bears is that literature about bears often does not separate black bears from grizzly bears. General Description: The black bear is approximately 4 to 7 feet from nose to tail, and two to three feet high at the withers. It has small eyes, rounded ears, a long snout, a large body, a short tail, and shaggy hair. It differs from grizzly bears in being smaller with a smaller shoulder hump, a furred rear instep, a less concave facial profile, smaller claws that are more tightly curved, and longer, smoother, and more tapered ears. Names: Some black bear subspecies go by different names, like Kermode bear, Cinnamon bear, or Glacier bear, but they are all black bears. We prefer calling male and female bears simply males and females, but many people call them boars and sows, like pigs. Although pigs and black bears are both omnivores, they are not related. A group of bears is sometimes called a sloth of bears after the Middle English slowthe, meaning slow. The term is inaccurate because bears are not slow (see below), and few people use the term anymore. Range: The American black bear is found only in North America. The population is estimated at 750,000. They live in forests as far south as Florida and northern Mexico and as far north as forests grow in Alaska and Canada. In northern Labrador, where grizzly bears no longer live, black bears range out onto open tundra where there are no trees to escape into. People are becoming more tolerant of black bears as we learn more about them. Many people are enjoying having bears live close to them where the bears were once feared and killed. Color: Body fur usually black or brown but occasionally blonde, or rarely white as in the Kermode subspecies of coastal British Columbia. Brown muzzle. White chest patch is uncommon in most populations. Eyes brown (blue at birth). Skin light gray. North American Bear Center

12 Quick Black Bear Facts Adult Weights: Wild male black bears of breeding age usually weigh between 125 and 500 pounds, depending upon age, season, and food. Very well fed bears can be heavier. The record is 880 pounds in Craven County, North Carolina, and a close second from northeastern Minnesota weighed 876 pounds on September 5, Wild females usually weigh between 90 and 300 pounds with the heaviest known female weighing 520 pounds in northeastern Minnesota on August 30, Black bears in captivity may exceed these records. Adult Length: 50 to 80 inches long, nose to tail, with males being larger than females. Mating Season: Usually from late May to early July. In the eastern deciduous forest, mating season can extend into August. Implantation: Delayed until November. Birth: January or early February. Number of Cubs: The number of cubs in a litter is usually 2 in the western United States and 3 in the eastern United States. First litters are often only 1 or 2. Litters of 6 have been reported in several eastern states. Birth Weight: Cubs weigh 1/2 to 1 pound at birth. Fall Weight of Cubs: By their first fall, cubs may weigh as little as 15 pounds or more than 165 pounds, depending on food supply. Parental Care: Cubs usually stay with their mother for 17 months (rarely 29 months). One to six days before the mothers are ready to mate in late May or June, they force their yearlings to stop traveling with them. Age at Production of First Cubs: 2 to 11 years, depending upon food supply. Typically 3 to 7 years. Interval Between Litters: Typically 2 years, but it can be 3 or 4 years if food is so scarce that they have to abort their blastocysts, embryos, or fetuses. If a litter is born but dies before the mating season, the mother will mate again and produce cubs in consecutive years. Sex Ratio: Nearly 50:50 at birth. Males are killed by people at a higher rate, though, so the sex ratio among mature bears is often one male per 2-5 females. Vision: Bears see in color and have good vision close-up. Their distance vision (over two hundred yards) has not been tested. Hearing: Exceeds human frequency ranges and probably twice the sensitivity. Smelling: Their smelling ability is extremely good. The limits are untested. Their nasal mucosa area is about 100 times larger than in humans. North American Bear Center

13 Quick Black Bear Facts Intelligence: Large brain compared to body size. One of the more intelligent mammals. Navigation ability superior to humans. Excellent long-term memory. Can generalize to the simple concept level. Sounds: Usually silent (except in movies in which sounds are dubbed in). A variety of grunts in amiable situations. Loud blowing noises when frightened. Clack teeth when frightened. They use a resonant, humanlike "voice" to express a range of emotions from pleasure to fear. Does not threaten by growling (except in movies). In story-telling, any sound a bear makes is called a growl. Swimming Ability: Good. Speed and distance limits are untested. Can swim at least a mile and a half in fresh water. One swam more than 9 miles in the Gulf of Mexico. Can swim to island campsites. Running Speed: Lean bears can exceed 30 mph. Can run uphill, downhill, or on level ground. Fat bears in winter coats overheat and tire quickly. Daily Activity Period: Most bears become active a half-hour before sunrise, take a nap or two during the day, and bed down for the night an hour or two after sunset. However, some bears are active at night to avoid people or bears. Preferred Foods: Nuts, acorns, fruit, insects, succulent greens. Meat and less succulent greens are eaten when preferred foods are scarce. A scarcity of preferred foods can result in failed reproduction, stunted growth, failure to add optimal amounts of fat, and death of young bears, especially cubs. Do bears hibernate? When hibernation was defined simply in terms of temperature reduction, bears were not considered hibernators. New knowledge of hibernation processes has led biologists to redefine mammalian hibernation as simply a specialized, seasonal reduction of metabolism concurrent with the environmental pressures of scarce food and low ambient temperatures. Black bears are now considered highly efficient hibernators. They sleep for months without eating, drinking, urinating, or defecating. Hibernators with lower body temperatures, such as chipmunks, woodchucks, and ground squirrels, cannot do this. These smaller mammals must awaken every few days, raise their temperatures to over 94 degrees, move around in their burrows, and urinate. Some of them must also eat and defecate during arousals. Black bears have far more insulative pelts and have lower surface to mass ratios than the smaller hibernators. As a result, bears' body heat is lost very slowly, enabling them to cut their metabolic rate in half and still make it through winter, maintaining temperatures above 88 degrees--within 12 degrees of their normal summer temperature. (Excerpted from "A Bear In Its Lair" by Lynn Rogers, Natural History Magazine, October 1981). Mothers wake up to give birth, typically in mid to late January, and take excellent care of the cubs in the den, licking them clean and responding to every cry for warmth and milk. North American Bear Center

14 Quick Black Bear Facts Length of Hibernation: The length and depth of hibernation is genetically programmed to match the regional norms of food availability. Hibernation is deeper and can last over 7 months in the northern portion of the black bear range where abundant, high quality food is available only from May through August. There, some bears hibernate so deeply, especially the leaner bears after a summer of unusually scarce food, that a person can jostle them for several minutes before they wake up. However, in southern states where food is available year-round, some do not hibernate at all, and those that do are easily aroused. Lean females cannot bring their fetuses to full term and do not give birth. Potential Longevity (lifespan): Black bears can live years or more if they are not killed. Causes of Death: Very few adult bears outside of national parks die of natural causes. Nearly all adult bears die from human-related causes. Most are eventually shot. A few are killed by vehicles. The average age of death in hunted populations is three to five years of age. Bears less than 17 months old sometimes die from starvation, predation, falls from trees, and other accidental causes. Very few die of disease. Core Home Range Diameter: Typically: Yearlings: 1-2 miles. Adult females: 2-6 miles. Adult males: 8-15 miles. Excursions to 126 miles recorded. Ideal Habitat: Black bears like large forests with many different kinds of fruits and nuts. Small sunny openings within the forest provide many kinds of food for the bears. Lowlands and wetlands provide tender and juicy vegetation. Streams and woodland pools provide water for drinking and cooling. Mothers with cubs like large trees (over 20 inches in diameter) with furrowed bark (like white pines or hemlocks) for bedding sites. These trees are safest for small cubs to climb. Living with Bears: Many people are moving into black bear habitat. The bears' future depends on how well we understand and tolerate them. Long-Term Problem: Magazines and movies have given black bears an unrealistically ferocious image, causing people to fear them excessively and kill them unnecessarily. There are many misconceptions about black bears. Greatest misconception: The greatest misconception about black bears is that they are likely to attack people in defense of cubs. They are highly unlikely to do this. Black bear researchers often capture screaming cubs in the presence of bluff-charging mothers with no attacks. Defense of cubs is a grizzly bear trait. About 70 percent of human deaths from grizzly bears are from mothers defending cubs, but black bear mothers have not been known to kill anyone in defense of cubs. North American Bear Center

15 Size and Appearance General: Black bears are 4 to 7 feet from nose to tail, 2 to 3 feet high at the shoulders, and have small eyes, rounded ears, a long snout, a short tail, and light gray skin. Their fur is shaggy or sleek, depending upon season. Compared to grizzly bears: Black bears average smaller than grizzly bears, have a smaller shoulder hump, and a less concave facial profile. Their claws are smaller and more tightly curved for climbing trees. Their fur is less shaggy. Their ears are longer, smoother, and more tapered. They have a furred rear instep, unlike the grizzly. Fur color: Black bears come in more colors than any other North American mammal. They are almost always black in eastern populations but are brown, cinnamon, black, or occasionally blond in western populations. Other color phases are white and bluish-gray as shown in the exhibit on color phases. Individual black bears can be recognized by: the muzzle color and pattern of black, brown, and blond fur the shape and shade of brown of their eyebrow patches, if present the shape and extent of white chest patches, if present. These range from a few white hairs to conspicuous patches. Cub traits: Cubs blue eyes turn brown within a year. Brown patches on the front and back of their ears usually disappear within a year. Copyright 2010 North American Bear Center

16 Weight Typical weights: Males of breeding age: pounds or more Females of breeding age: pounds or more Records: Male, 880 lbs (399 kg.), Craven Co., North Carolina, 1998 or 902 lbs (410 kg.) field-dressed, Quebec, Female, 520 lbs (236 kgs.), St. Louis Co., MN, Aug 30, (Captive bears may exceed these weights.) Weight depends upon age, sex, season, food, and genetics. Males reach full size by 12 years of age. Females approach their smaller full size at 6. Weight loss: Males that weigh 500 pounds in fall can lose 100 pounds over winter and another 100 pounds during spring mating season. Mature females can lose about the same percentage over winter and spring if they give birth and nurse newborn cubs. Weight gain: The period of weight gain in the Northwoods is short mainly summer. In parts of North America that have acorns, hickory nuts, and other fall foods, weight gain can extend through fall. Supplemental food: Unusually heavy black bears usually have access to supplemental food. Researchers weighed such a bear Copyright 2010 North American Bear Center near Orr, Minnesota, in Duffy, age 12, weighed 584 pounds on July 31 and 876 pounds on September 5 (photos), gaining 8.1 pounds a day those 36 days. On September 9, he went off to make a den. On July 4, 1995, he weighed only 465 pounds after losing 411 pounds (47 percent) during hibernation and mating. As a side note on this unusually big bear, he had a gentle personality. He trusted people where he was accustomed to seeing them, and he allowed researchers to walk with him, but he remained wary of unexpected people. He survived far past the average age of 2 at which male bears are shot in Minnesota. A hunter shot him at the age of 16 ¾ in the area where he was used to seeing people.

17 Capabilities Intelligence Large brain compared to body size. Superior navigation (homing) ability. Excellent memory. Have surpassed chimpanzees in tests of learning. Vision Not well tested. A report says they have color vision and very sharp close-up vision. Many biologists say bears can see about as well as people. Sense of smell Legendary, but untested. Their nasal mucosa area is many times that of a human. Hearing Hearing is the black bear s first line of defense in brushy forest where vision is limited and smell reveals only what is upwind. They react to sounds at twice the distance people do and will respond to the high pitch of a dog whistle. Vocalizations Amiable sounds are grunts and tongueclicks. Frightened sounds include loud blowing, teethclacking, and moans. A resonant, humanlike voice expresses emotions from pleasure to fear. In stories, many people interpret any sound a bear makes as a growl, but Ely biologists have never heard a black bear growl except in movies with dubbed-in sounds. Swimming Reported swimming at least 9 miles in the Gulf of Mexico. Running Lean bears can exceed 30 mph. Fat bears are slower and easily overheat, especially if they have thick winter coats. Bears can run uphill or downhill. Reference: Bacon, E. S. & Burghardt, G. M Learning and color discrimination in the American black bear. Ursus 3: Updated Copyright 2010 North American Bear Center

18 Activities & Social Organization Daily Activity Period: Most bears become active a half-hour before sunrise, take a nap or two during the day, and bed down for the night an hour or two after sunset. However, some bears are active at night to avoid people or bears. Core Home Range Diameter: Typically: Yearlings: 1-2 miles. Adult females: 2-6 miles. Adult males: 8-15 miles. Excursions to 126 miles recorded. Photo by David Reimann their usual areas before returning for hibernation. Social Organization: Matriarchal territoriality. Females hold territories. Males have mating ranges that usually include over 7 female territories. Male mating ranges are indefensibly large, so there is overlap among males as well as overlap of the female territories within male mating ranges. Females allow their offspring to remain in their territories. Young males voluntarily disperse from their mothers territories when the males approach sexual maturity. This may be between 1 and 4 years of age, depending upon food and rate of development. Mothers attempt to expand their territories at the expense of non-kin neighbors. Late summer activities: Around Ely, 40% of the females and 67% of the males traveled 4 to 125 miles outside Copyright 2010 North American Bear Center

19 Reproduction Mating: Polygamous. Mating is typically in late May to mid July. In eastern and southern states and where mothers have lost litters and recycled into late estrus, mating can occur as late as September 12. Males can mate throughout the mating season, but each female is ready only 2-16 days. Implantation: Eggs are fertilized and develop into blastocysts at mating, but they but do not implant in the uterus and develop further until November. Birth: Usually in mid January to early February with records from December 16 to February 17. Litter size: Typically 2 cubs in western North America and 3 in eastern North America. Record: 6 in Pennsylvania. First litters often 1 or 2. Size at birth: Average 9 inches and 12 ounces (range 9-16 ounces). Newborn black bear cubs are smaller, compared to their mothers, than other placental mammals. Sex Ratio at Birth: About 50:50. Parental Care: Cubs remain with their mothers for months. Young females often remain in or near their mothers territories for life. Males usually leave at 1½ to 3½ years of age. Sources: Alt, Gary L Reproductive biology of female black bears and early growth and development of cubs in northeastern Pennsylvania. Ph.D. Dissertation. West Virginia University. Morgantown. 116 pages. Rogers, Lynn L Effects of food supply and kinship on social behavior, movements, and population growth of black bears in northeastern Minnesota. Wildlife Monograph 97: Updated February 10, 2010 Copyright 2010 North American Bear Center

20 Care of Newborn Cubs Newborn cubs are smaller, relative to their mother s size, than the young of any other placental mammal. They are totally dependent on their mothers. Newborn cubs have little fur, weigh less than a pound, and can barely crawl. Three cubs is the most common litter size around Ely. Around Ely, temperatures at the time of birth in January can be 60 degrees (F) below zero. Most dens are no warmer than the outside air because most den entrances are open. Some dens are simply nests on the ground surface. The mother s metabolism is slightly reduced, but she maintains a body temperature between 94 and 98 F, compared with approximately 100 F in summer. Her body temperature in the den is high enough for full mental function. She dozes when the cubs do but responds to every cry when they are cold, hungry, or need to eliminate body wastes. She keeps the cubs warm by hovering over them and breathing on them with her head tucked under her chest. Her arms and legs make furry walls. She helps the cubs find her six nipples. She licks them to stimulate defecation and eats the feces to recycle unabsorbed nutrients and keep the den clean. Newborn cubs have mouths shaped for sucking, and milk is their only food. The cubs do not hibernate. They have full metabolism for maximum growth rate. They nurse frequently and for long periods, making a motor-like hum that seems to tell mothers not to change position because everything is okay. Two-week-old black bear cub about life size. The eyes are closed. The mouth and tongue are shaped for sucking. The ears are small and tucked out of the way. It will spend the next several weeks nursing and sleeping under the mother in the den. Copyright 2010 North American Bear Center

21 BIRTH YEAR SHADOW (F) Brother (M) Sister (F) S Blackheart (F) H Dot (F) Cinder (F) V Whiteheart (F) H Donna (F) Trueheart (F) BB King (M) Cookie (F) Lonestar (M) Tucker (M) Topper (M) Benji (M) Brodie (M) Cody (M) Monty (M) U Colleen (F) Tanner (M) Kelly (M) H Cub b2(m) Kailie (F) Bailey (M) Cub 3 (U) U Debbie (F) Gina (F) Squawker (M) Shannon (F) Star (F) Austin (M) Summer (F) Cub b1(u) U Cub b1(u) U Skeeter (M) V Scooter (M) la an C Re es se ea ar rc ch In ns st tit tu ut te -- - Sh ha ad do ow ws ww ww w.b be ea ar rs st tu ud dy y..o or rg if fe ld dl Wil Braveheart (F) Gracie (F) H Valiant (F) S Max (M) Shylow (M) Cub3(M) V Chip (M) Dale (M) H Mickey (M) H (F) RC Erin (F) hsolo R Sunshine (F) v Megan (F) R Cub b3(m) P RC (F) Cub (F) U Spirit it (F) H Keefer (F) Baby Devil (F) Cub b3(m) Billy (M) s Cub b2(m) Trax (M) Cub b3(m) Sarah (F) H Samantha (F) Cub3(F) U Jim (M) (M) ebill Doug (M) Bow (F) Ty (M) No-bow (F) H Bruno (M) Jo (F) Ted (M) Cowlick (M) June (F) Pete (M) Hazel (F) S George (M) Willy (M) Lily (F) Hope (F) KEYS Sto FATE: font type: red db bold = alive Cal (M) H italicized i = deadd Bud (M) plain black = unknown (dead or dispersed) Jewel (F) Jordan (M) Curly (F) H superscripts: H = shot by hunter Larry (M) P = predation Moe (M) H S = shot by non-hunter Cub 1 (U) U = cause of death unknown Cub 2 (U) V = hit by vehicle Cub b3(u) C = capture myopathy y R = removed from study by MN DNR N = natural causes Juliet (F) Luke (M) Scruffy (M) Skywalker (M) H Runt (M) David (M) MiMi (F) N Tia (F) U Sharon (F) Shirley (F) Boy Sue (M) Cub 1 (F) Cub 2 (F) Cub 3 (F) Ursula (F) Burt (M) Cub b1(f) Cub2(M) JJ (M) Cub 2(M)

22 Skull of a black bear Teeth: Black bears have 42 teeth adapted to an omnivorous diet of vegetation, nuts, berries, insects, and some meat. The incisors can be used for cutting meat but are usually used to clip grass, clover, and newly emerging plants on the forest floor. The canines can be used to grasp prey and to wound opponents but are usually used to tear open logs for ants and grubs. The premolars are the four teeth behind each canine tooth. Usually the 2 nd and 3 rd premolars on the bottom jaw are missing, leaving a space (diastema) like herbivores have. Moose use their diastema to strip leaves off branches as they draw the branches sideways through it. Black bears use it the same way when eating young leaves in spring. The molars are the 2 back teeth on the top and the 3 back teeth on the bottom. They are broad and flat like they are in raccoons and people and are used for crushing nuts and acorns and for grinding up vegetation. Black bears eat little meat, so they don t need their molars to be sharp and scissor-like as they are in animals like wolves and cats that eat mostly meat. Saggital crest: This protrusion is for attachment of chewing muscles. Animals with a large saggital crest have a powerful bite. The saggital crest is much bigger on male black bears than it is on females, giving males a more powerful bite when fighting over females. Males and females have similar diets. Copyright 2010 North American Bear Center

23 How old is this black bear? Age Reproductive History Outer surface of tooth. --7 th litter. Wolves killed and ate her and the cubs in February. 6 th litter 5 th litter 4 th litter 3 rd litter 2 nd litter Care of cubs (16-17 months) -- 1 st litter (born in January) -- Conception (May or June). Cementum (covers the root surface) 2 1 Dentine (root interior) To learn the age, count the lines in this slice of a tooth from a 16-year-old female black bear. An extra dark line is a double line. Each year, black bears add a new layer of cementum to the outside of the root. Each annual layer has two parts: a dark line formed during hibernation and a light-colored area formed during growth. Births are usually in January, so think of the dark lines as birthdays. The spaces between the dark lines help tell this bear s life story. Wide spaces during her younger years indicate rapid growth. Narrow spaces (or no space) between lines every other year after age 4 indicate years she raised cubs, putting her calcium into milk instead of teeth. At 16, she gave birth in January and was killed by wolves at her den in February, ending the story with the dark outer line that was forming during hibernation. Copyright 2010 North American Bear Center

24 What color is a black bear? In eastern forests, the extra melanin in black fur makes it resistant to abrasion from the dense shrubbery the bears travel through. The black color phase is most common in most parts of North America, especially in eastern forests. In western states that have mountain meadows and open park-like areas, over half the black bears (Ursus americanus cinnamomum) have brown, cinnamon, or blond fur. The lighter fur reduces heat stress in the food-rich openings. It may also camouflage the bears from the grizzly bears and wolves of today and the many predators that inhabited open areas during the Ice Age. The black bear comes in more colors than any North American mammal except maybe the wolf. Black bears can be black, brown, cinnamon, blond, bluegray, or white. East of the Great Plains, nearly all are black. The first bears early settlers saw had black fur, hence the name. The different fur colors may provide advantages in the various regions where this adaptable animal lives across North America. In western North America, black bears often feed in open sunlight where lighter colors reduce heat stress and enable bears to feed for longer periods, studies have shown. Over half the black bears there are shades of brown. In states that border the Great Plains, 5% to 25% of the black bears are shades of brown. The brown color phase may be a holdover from when prairie covered those areas. In Minnesota, about 5% are brown or cinnamon. Copyright 2010 North American Bear Center

25 On Princess Royal and Gribbell Islands in British Columbia, 20 percent of the black bears (Ursus americanus kermodei) are white. A study showed that white individuals have an advantage when catching salmon under overcast skies. Studies have shown that the white fur of Kermode or Spirit bears helps them catch salmon under overcast skies. A glacier bear with rare bluish gray fur to mate with surrounding populations. The influx of dominant black genes is thought to have made this color phase more and more rare. In southeastern Alaska, black bears called Glacier Bears (Ursus americanus emmonsii) sometimes have dark bluishgray fur with silver-tipped guard hairs. These bears blend in with the mountain glaciers that were much more common there during the Ice Age. The glaciers helped isolate these bears from surrounding populations, but as the glaciers melted this subspecies was able A glacier bear with rare bluish gray fur Copyright 2010 North American Bear Center

26 Maskwa, the Little White Cub In June 2004, word spread that this mother and female cub could be seen along the highway. People flocked to see, feed, and photograph them. The mother was killed by a car on July 11, and little Maskwa was placed in Winnipeg s Assiniboine Park Zoo. She weighed 35 pounds big for her Maskwa, Cree for bear, is the name Manitoba wildlife officials gave to this rare white cub because of her significance to Native Americans. These pictures have circulated on the Internet since 2004, usually with the claim they were taken near Gordon, Wisconsin. The real location was a narrow strip of land between Lake Winnipegosis and Cedar Lake in Manitoba. age probably because of the extra food she and her mother got from people. She weighed 77 pounds by fall. Over the years, she developed honeycolored fur on her neck and head as often occurs in white black bears. Tests showed Maskwa to be genetically different from Kermode bears and from other white black bears. Her whiteness is due to a new mutation on the same gene that causes whiteness in Kermode bears not as a result of gene flow from British Columbia 1,000 miles away. Copyright 2010 North American Bear Center

27 What is a Spirit Bear? A rare white black bear, commonly called a Spirit Bear. Photo: Princess Royal Island, British Columbia. September 19, A spirit bear is a rare black bear that has white fur, brown eyes, a dark nose pad, and off-white claws. These are not polar bears or albinos. Maybe 100 exist mostly on Princess Royal and Gribbell Islands along the rainforest coast of British Columbia. Those islands are home to a subspecies of black bear called the Kermode bear (Ursus americanus kermodeii). About 20 percent of this population is white. They are revered by Native Americans and are called Spirit Bears. The Kermode subspecies is also found on the mainland of British Columbia, but few of those are white. Outside British Columbia, white black bears are very rare but include A young white male named Halo near Orr, Minnesota, in white cubs with a black mother near Beausejour, Manitoba, in 2000 A white cub named Maskwa near Cedar Lake, Manitoba, in Tests showed that this cub was genetically different from white Kermode bears. Copyright 2010 North American Bear Center

28 How did white fur become established among the black bears of Princess Royal and Gribbell Islands? No one really knows, but the thinking, in general, goes like this. Mutations frequently occur. Some of them reduce reproductive success and eventually die out. Others increase reproductive success, making those genes ever more common in future generations survival of the fittest. Along the Pacific coast, white fur might make fishing easier. Black bears along coastal salmon streams differ from interior bears in that salmon are a major part of their diet in spawning seasons. Dr. Tom Reimchin and his graduate students at the University of Victoria suggested that being white might help Spirit Bears catch salmon under the cloudy rainforest skies of the Pacific Coast. Overcast skies appear white from underwater, so a white body might seem less threatening to the salmon. To test this, they put on white clothing or black clothing and waded into salmon streams. The salmon initially fled, but when the researchers stood still, the salmon regrouped more quickly around researchers wearing white. For white bears, better fishing success might enable them to maintain the genotype by growing more rapidly and reproducing more successfully. Then, why aren t all black bears along the Pacific Coast white? To maintain a genotype, two conditions must be met. The genotype must confer a reproductive advantage, and the population must be protected from gene flow from surrounding areas where other genotypes are favored. Those conditions appear to be met to some extent on Princess Royal and Gribbell Islands. Salmon are an important food there, and the bear population is somewhat separated from other bear populations by water and the steep Coast Mountains. Those barriers prevent the adaptive white genes from being swamped by dominant black genes from mainland populations. Other populations up and down the rainforest coast are not as well separated from interior populations where black fur is advantageous, so gene flow from the interior populations swamps the double recessive white genes and prevents their expression. Beyond British Columbia, white black bears are extremely rare. In dense forest, black fur is advantageous because it contains melanin, which makes the fur more resistant to abrasion from understory vegetation. The ability to blend into dark shadows may also confer an advantage, or may have done so in the past when Ice Age predators threatened black bears. Copyright 2010 North American Bear Center

29 Problems for Black Bears Living with Bears: As people move into black bear habitat, bear survival depends upon how well we understand and tolerate them. Misconceptions: Misconceptions are the biggest problems bears face. TV programs, magazines, taxidermy, and educational material about black bears often create unrealistic fear. This leads to unnecessary killings because people will not coexist with animals they fear. The most common misconception is that black bears, especially mothers with cubs, are likely to attack. This misconception and others are explored in more detail elsewhere in the Bear Center. Habitat loss: Black bears generally do not live where large tracts of forest have been eliminated. Poaching: Poaching for gall bladders and paws is a problem for black bears in some areas, but it isn t threatening black bears with extinction like it is Asian species. Updated April 26, 2010 Copyright 2010 North American Bear Center

30 Longevity and Causes of Death Potential longevity: Wild black bears can live or more years. Causes of death: Young bears: In Minnesota, cubs and yearlings less than 17 months old die from starvation, predation, falls, vehicles, etc. A few die from parasites and disease. Older bears: Most adult black bears die from humanrelated causes, including vehicles. Most are shot. In Minnesota, the average age of black bears killed by hunters is 2 for males and 3 for females. A black bear coming up a tree Updated Copyright 2010 North American Bear Center

31 Myths and Misconceptions Myth: When bears lose their fear of people, they become more likely to attack Untrue. Bear researchers across America have found that such bears are no more likely to attack, and may be less likely to attack, than other bears. Here is a summary of the evidence, starting here near Ely. 1. In nearby Eagles Nest Township, MN, residents have fed wild black bears for over 40 years. Dozens of bears have lost their fear of people over the years. No one was attacked. A story about one of those bears is posted here in the Bear Center in Bears in the News. See Ed Orazem: the man who feeds bears in the Ely Echo, August 26, At the Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary near Orr, MN, people have hand-fed and petted hundreds of wild black bears for decades. Until the mid-1990 s, the public was free to mingle with the wild bears without rules or supervision. People teased bears with food for pictures. Toddlers steadied themselves against 500-pound bears. People lifted children up to bears mouths for reasons beyond understanding. There were occasional nips and scratches, but no attacks. 3. Around Ely, researchers have worked closely with wild black bears since 1969 (plus 2 previous years in Michigan). No bear came after them and hurt them. In the last 2 decades, Ely researchers and 100+ volunteers spent thousands of hours walking with dozens of black bears, including mothers with cubs (Rogers and Wilker 1990). There were occasional nips and scratches, but no attacks. The more accustomed the bears became to observers, the more they ignored them, as can be seen in videos here in the Bear Center. 4. In Michigan, Dr. Terry DeBruyn spent 4 years walking with wild black bears, including mothers with cubs, for his Ph.D. The bears did not attack anyone. Read his experiences in Walking With Bears here on the Book Table. 5. In Pennsylvania, Dr. Gary Alt spent over a decade studying a 7-square-mile community called Hemlock Farms where 7,000 people coexisted with 21 bears. That many bears in 7 square miles is a higher bear density than exists in any national park or national forest. People regularly hand-fed the bears. No one was attacked. 6. In Smoky Mountains National Park, Dr. Jane Tate studied wild black bears that people fed along roadsides (Tate 1983). She watched in disbelief as raucous tourists crowded around bears to handfeed them, pour beer over their heads, lure them into cars for photos, and put honey on kids faces for bears to lick. She reported that the bears were amazingly tolerant and restrained. When people tried to pet bears that were not used to it, some bears defensively nipped or cuffed people, causing minor injuries, but the bears did not attack. The more accustomed to people the bears became, the less likely they were to cause injury. 7. Between 1900 and 2007, wild black bears killed 60 people across North America. None of these bears were accustomed to being fed or petted. Forty-seven of the killings were in remote areas of Canada and Alaska where people and bears have little contact. Only 3 were in eastern states (2 in Tennessee, 1 in New York) where encounters are frequent. See more on these killings elsewhere in the Bear Center. North American Bear Center

32 Myths and Misconceptions 8. For decades, people mingled with black bears at garbage dumps where bears had lost their fear of people. In 1989, a researcher asked hundreds of bear biologists at an Int l Bear Conference if they had ever heard of anyone being attacked at a garbage dump. No one had. 9. Near Grand Marais, MN, Jack Becklund formed close relationships with 10 bears around his rural residence during His book Summers with the bears tells his experiences. No one was hurt. 10. But what about grizzly bears? At McNeil River Sanctuary in Alaska, people have closely observed grizzly/brown bears ever since the area became a sanctuary in No fences separate bears from people. Bears fight, mate, and nurse cubs within a few feet of observers. In over 60,000 encounters, no one has been hurt (Herrero et al. 2005). 11. In Yellowstone National Park, grizzly bears that have lost their fear of people forage beside roads, ignoring tourists who vie for pictures. Dr. Stephen Herrero (2005) wrote that these bears have not injured any bear-viewers and are less likely to attack hikers or bear viewers on a per-encounter basis. 12. In Alaska, Dr. Stephen Stringham (in press) leads bear-viewing groups to watch grizzly bears that are accustomed to close observation. On the basis of over 10,000 encounters, he wrote, There is little risk of being mauled by fully acclimated bruins. Conclusion Bears that are used to seeing people are less likely to flee but are no more likely to come after people and hurt them than any other bear. Does this mean people should approach wild bears and attempt to feed and pet them? Does it mean bears can live around people like pets? No. When people touch wild bears that are not used to being touched, the bears may shy away or occasionally nip or slap, causing minor injuries. Bear Center researchers do not consider these mild defensive reactions to be attacks. In 40 years of working closely with wild black bears, Bear Center researchers have never had one come after them and hurt them. References Becklund, J Summers with the Bears: Six Seasons in the North Woods. Hyperion, New York, NY. 178pp. DeBruyn, T Walking with Bears: One Man's Relationship with Three Generations of Wild Bears. The Lyons Press. 320 pages. Herrero, S., T. Smith, T. D. DeBruyn, K. Gunther, and C. A. Matt From the field: brown bear habituation to people safety, risks, and benefits. Wildl. Soc. Bull. 33(1): Rogers, L. L., and G. W. Wilker How to obtain behavioral and ecological information from free-ranging, researcher-habituated black bears. Bear Res. and Manage. 8: Stringham, S. F., (in press) When bears whisper do you listen? Negotiating close encounters with wild bruins. Tate, J A profile of panhandling black bears in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Ph.D. Thesis. Univ. of Tenn., Knoxville. 135pp. North American Bear Center

33 How do Black Bears Respond to Deer Flies and Horse Flies? This black bear is trying to slap a deer fly (in the white circle). Deer flies and horse flies bite hard. Bears shake their heads when these flies bite their faces or ears. In early summer when bears have short new fur, these flies can reach the skin and bite nearly anywhere. Black bears often try to catch them by slapping them like this or biting them out of the air before the flies can bite. They know they have to move fast to catch them. When a researcher offered a horse fly in his fingers, the usually slowmoving bear moved lightning fast to get the big fly before it could get away, using its lips and tongue with precise accuracy.

34 The Giant Short-faced Bear The Fastest Running Bear that ever Lived Also called the bulldog bear, the giant short-faced bear (Arctodus simus) was undoubtedly the fastest running bear that ever lived. Rangier and longer legged than any bear today, it was about five feet at the shoulders when walking and stood as tall as 12 feet on its hind legs. Unlike pigeon-toed modern bears, its toes pointed straight forward, enabling it to walk with a fast, purposeful gait. It probably could run over 40 miles per hour despite weighing over 1500 pounds. The giant short-faced bear was likely a powerful hunter capable of killing large prey. However, recent research suggests it may also have used its size and strength to chase other predators away from their kills. The giant short-faced bears lived in North America during the Pleistocene Epoch, from 1.6 million to 10,000 years ago. The earliest people to reach North America, perhaps as early as 15,000 years ago, must have found this animal truly frightening. ECOLOGY: Giant short-faced bears lived in Minnesota and the open country west of the Mississippi River and north to Yukon and Alaska. They probably scavenged and preyed upon large herbivores such as bison, muskoxen, deer, caribou, horses, and ground sloths. Their disappearance is linked to changes in habitat that led to the disappearance of some of these large herbivores at the end of the Ice Age.