Jomoud's Fotothing

Our 2007 Holiday
BEAR COUNTRY - Black Hills, South Dakota
(In this series, full size is recommended for the majority of photo's)

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BLACK BEAR (Ursus Americanus)
Black bears look larger than they are because of their long, coarse hair and loose skin.
They have short, powerful legs and long, heavy claws which are used for eating and digging. They also use them for climbing trees and marking trees to alert other bears of their territory. Black bears can run short distances very rapidly. They usually weigh between 150 and 350 pounds. Sometimes older bears can reach a weight of up to 650 pounds.
Though most black bears are indeed black, some are brown, cinnamon and blond in color. Bears are one of the few animals that have heels on their rear paws, which enable them to stand and walk like we do. Their skeletal structure is very similar to humans.
Black bears spend much of the winter sleeping (hibernating) in snug shelters, natural caves or holes dug in the earth. (Hibernation is very slow metabolism rather than a deep sleep.)
Black bears are omnivores, flesh eaters as well as eaters of fruits, nuts, grubs, insects, honey and roots of plants. Their teeth are suited for both grinding and tearing. Black bears have a keen sense of smell and are able to hear fairly well, but they see poorly with their small eyes. The black bear is sometimes referred to as “the clown of the wilderness” because of its amusing antics such as rolling over; standing on its head, dancing and begging for food.