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

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

 
Life Cycle Of The Black Bear

Black Bears have one of the lowest reproductive rates of any North American land mammal.

See more information about black bears and their life cycle at the IBA web site

Source: BC Gov

•  Reproduction

  • Mating Season

    • 

      More on mating

    • Black Bears in BC usually mate in between May and July (from early June to mid-July in BC)

  • First Pregnancy

    • Female Black Bears are usually around 4 years old when they produce their first litter of cubs and most males are between five and six years old when they first mate

    • In areas of abundant food, females may mate as young as two years of age or where food is scarce they may not have their first litter until they are six or seven years old

  • Frequency of Litters

    • Female Black Bears can produce cubs every 2 to 3 years, but if they don't have a good food supply, it may be 3 or 4 years between litters

Source: BC Gov

•  Offspring

  • Birth 

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      Cubs are usually born between January and February, during hibernation 

  • Number of Cubs 

    • Litters usually have two cubs, but litters can have between one and five cubs 

  • Birth Weight & Length 

    • Cubs are about 15-20 cm long and weigh slightly more than 225 g

  • Growth of Cubs 

    •  At birth, cubs are hairless, blind, and weigh about 400 g; they nurse while the mother continues hibernating and weigh 3 to 5 kg when they leave the den in spring 

    • By the Fall of the first year of their life, cubs can weigh between 6.8 kg to 74.8 kg, depending on their food supply

Check out this slideshow on The Hidden World of Bears and at the Bears in BC website 

Source: BC Gov

•  Family Ties

  • Black bear cubs stay with their mother for the entire first year and sometimes up to 18 months 

  • Cubs are weaned between July and September and then they hibernate with their mother during the first winter 

  • Mother bears protect their cubs and teach them how to hunt and survive

  • At end of their second spring, black bear cubs are on their own

  • The mother drives the cubs away when she is ready to breed again 

•  Life Span

  • Black bears can live for 25 to 30 years in captivity, but their life-span in the wild is usually much shorter and most bears in the wild are less than 10 years old 

Here's some additional information on the Life Cycle of Black Bears

Source:  Bears In BC - Hinterland

Learn more black bear facts

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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