Black Bear Biology:  What's Under All That Fur?

Physical Appearance      Paws, Claws & Tracks      Size      Skulls & Humps     Bear Senses      Bear Abilities      Life Cycle

 
Black Bear Abilities

Intelligence

• Black Bears have a large brain compared to their size 

• They are one of the more intelligent mammals 

• They have excellent long-term memory 

• Their navigation ability is superior to humans 

• They can generalize to the simple concept level 

Source: NA Bear Center

Locomotion

Swimming Ability

• Black bears are good swimmers 

• They can swim at least a mile and a half in fresh water 

• They can cross rivers and small lakes 


Climbing Ability

• This is second nature to a black bear and they can climb up a tree quite quickly


Running Ability

• Bears can run uphill and downhill and on flat ground

• Lean bears can run faster than 48 km/h

• Fat bears in their winter coats overheat and tire quickly when running

• For short distances they have been clocked at speeds of up to 55km/h

Learn more about Black Bear Abilities at Hinterland

Source:  Bears In BC - Hinterland

Black Bear Index

Black Bear Introduction
What Colour Are They?
What's Under All That Fur?
Black Bears In Action
Black Bear Activities
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