Coal Creek Wildlife-Black Bear

Black Bear by Casey, age 8

Have you ever been in Colorado's mountains and forests? If you saw a big blackish-brownish thing that growls and struts back and forth and seems to be searching for something, it may be a

black bear. Compared to the brown bear and the polar bear it is the smallest. They live in most of North America up to Alaska and even as far south as Mexico. They live in mountains and forests. Male bears weigh 375 pounds. Females weigh slighty less than the males. The biggest black bear ever weighed was over 800 pounds. They come in different colors also. Not all black bears are black, most are black with a brownish muzzle. But some are almost white. Cinnamon is common in the United States. Black bears will eat anything. They used to get trash from cans in the city parks, now the cans are bear proof. They also eat berries, nuts, grass, leaves, pinecones, ants and honey. Males are called boars, females are called sows and babies are called cubs. Summer time is playtime for the cubs. But the mother watches for intruders. If one comes near, the mother puts the cubs up a tree and scares the person away. When President Teddy Roosevelt saved a black bear cub from death, a toymaker was so charmed he made the first teddy bear.

I got my information from BLACK BEARS by Caroline Greenland, WHAT ANIMALS EAT by Ruth Belov Gross and BEARS FOR KIDS by Jeff Fair.

Black Bear by Alex, age 9

Did you know that all black bears are not black? Some bears are blueish black. If you see a black thing that lives in thickly wooded area or dense brushland near a creek, stream or lake, it may be a black bear. Black bear mothers keep their cubs in a tree if a stranger comes and they stay up there for 20 minutes.The black bear and her cubs sleep in a cave.When you go camping just look for a black bear in the woods. You may see them eating nuts, berries, grass and forbs. They also will eat porcupines, rabbits and hares, birds, young elk and deer.

I got my information from BLACK BEAR by Carl Greenland.

Black Bear by Rachel L., age 9

In the winter the sound of snow pierces the silence. The wind blows with unstoppable force. The trees look like spears pointing upward. While all this is going on the black bear hibernates. But when the summer sun peeks over the horizon and dew hangs on the trees, you might see a black patch in the bushes and two eyes shining like coals. Their range is all over North America. Half a million black bears are in the world. When winter comes black bears hibernate in a den. They don't eat or drink during hibernation. When a female is in the winter den she usually gives birth to two or three cubs. The weight of a male black bear is 300 to 400 pounds. A female weighs 150 to 215 pounds. Even though the weight of a black bear is huge it is the smallest North American bear. But it still is fast, strong and extremely powerful. Black is not the only color of the black bear. It is called the black bear because black ones were the first seen. It comes in brown and reddish brown also.

I got my information from a book called BLACK BEARS by Mark Ahlstrom.

Please sign our GUESTBOOK