Bear
Living in the mountains
Needs from its habitat:
Food
Den for dormancy and
birth
Description:
| An adult black bear is only about as tall as a human adult, but weighs between 200 and 400 pounds. Black bears are
often black, but can also be brown and occasionally even blonde or white. They have long legs, flat feet, and very short tails.
Diet:
Black bears eat grasses, berries, fruits, nuts, acorns, grubs, insects, small rodents, birds, eggs, and sometimes fish.
Life Cycle:
Bears mate in spring and cubs are born in January or February. When cubs are born, two at a time, they are blind
and weigh less than a pound. They first leave the den at two months of age and stay with their mothers until they are about
18 months old. The are able to have cubs of their own at 3 years and reach their full size at about 6 years. In the winter
they become dormant. In the wild, they generally live about 7 years.
Range:
The black bear is found in most parts of North America. In Georgia, they are found primarily in remote areas of swampland
and Blue Ridge Mountains.
Dangers:
The biggest danger to bears is hunting. Bears are protected by strict hunting laws, but many people kill them illegally.
Young bears can also be killed by car accidents, starvation, and being hunted by other animals.
