TIL: How long do black bears live?

Picture showing a black bear family
A family of black bears (Ursus americanus) walk alongside a road.
Photo by Donna Feledichuk / Getty Images

Black bears (Ursus americanus) are common across Canada, but there’s a lot more to them than we see in news coverage. Here are a few frequently asked questions about black bears in Canada – share your favourites and help spread these amazing facts about bears!

1 How long do black bears live? Black bears are known to live into their 30s while in captivity, but 10 to 15 years is more common in the wild. The biggest threats black bears face are human-caused (attractants that change their behaviour, habitat fragmentation, and roads). 

2 How do black bears communicate? Black bears have several ways of communicating – they clack their jaws, moan, and whine (they don’t growl though); they also use body language to communicate, such as stomping of feet or bluff charges. Check out a video from Bear With Us that shows off some of these communication styles below.

3 How do black bears prepare for hibernation? As days grow shorter and the weather cools, black bears become more active, putting on weight to prepare for winter (the process of hyperphagia). During this period bears can consume up to 20,000 calories a day, which helps them create fat stores they rely on through torpor (the type of hibernation black bears enter). It’s vital during this time that attractants be managed.

4 How big do black bears get? Like many mammals, female and male black bears have different size ranges. Males weigh an average 115 to 270 kg (250 to 595 lbs.) and females weigh an average 92 to 140 kg (202 to 308 lbs.). From nose to tail, adult black bears are about 150-180 cm long (4.9 to 5.9 feet), and stand about 90 cm (3 feet) tall from foot to shoulder. 

What facts surprised you most? Let us know by sharing this post on social media or finding it on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter/X and commenting there!

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