Bears living at southern latitudes also often eat colonial species such as honeybees and their nests.īlack bears typically breed during the summer (May through August). From examining bear scat, researchers found evidence that bears in the Tensas River Basin subpopulation feed on wild hogs and white-tailed deer in the fall. Throughout all seasons, Louisiana black bear frequently eat beetles and other insects. As a result, bears that are active during winter primarily eat grass and herbaceous vegetation they also scavenge for leftover acorns and pecans. During winter, there is very little hard mast available. In late fall, bears mainly feed on hard mast (fruit of forest trees) such as oaks and hickories, as well as palmetto fruit and corn. In fact, a study in the Tensas River Basin suggested that corn, a non-native agricultural crop, comprised the majority of black bear diets during late summer (33.3%) and early fall (30.6%). In late summer, Louisiana black bears still forage on berries but also eat agricultural crops. In Louisiana, black bears rely heavily on soft mast such as blackberries, dewberries, and leaf buds during spring and early summer. Food quantity and quality are important factors in determining where black bears live.Īlthough classified as carnivores, black bears are best described as opportunistic omnivores because they eat almost anything that is available, including vegetation, berries, insects, and nuts that naturally occur in forests and other productive ecosystems. Generally require the dense cover and diversity of food resources that healthy forests provide. Range has expanded into upland areas including piney woods habitat west and east of the Mississippi River. These bears are usually transient and do not stay in the area for long.Found primarily in the forested wetlands of the Mississippi Alluvial Valley however, have been sighted in almost every parish in Louisiana. Dispersing juvenile bears have been sighted in many counties in South Carolina. In addition, juvenile bears, especially the males, must disperse to find new home territories. Black bears will travel large distances to find adequate food sources. A shortage of natural food sources and lack of rainfall can cause home ranges to vary greatly. Typically male bear home ranges can be 18 to 160 square miles, while home ranges for females are smaller, around 6-19 square miles. Home range for bears must include den sites, food, water and cover for adults and young. In South Carolina, there are two resident populations of black bears, one in the mountains and upper piedmont and one in the coastal plain. As long as they can find adequate food sources and have suitable den sites, black bears can be found in a variety of habitats.īlack bears can be found throughout North America. Wetlands such as swamps and bays also provide good habitat.

Typically, black bears require large expanses of forest dominated by a diversity of mast-producing hardwoods and shrubs intermixed with early successional vegetation such as blackberries, pokeberries, etc. Black bears reach sexual maturity by 3 years and obtain most of their growth by 5 years. The average life expectancy is 18 years in the wild. The largest black bear recorded in South Carolina was 609 pounds. However, when food is plentiful, older bears have been documented at weights above 400-500 pounds. An average adult male black bear can weigh between 150 - 350 pounds while the female averages between 100 -250 pounds.

Male black bears are generally larger than females. Black bears are excellent climbers and good swimmers and can be found in a variety of habitats. They have good eyesight and an incredible sense of smell. The rump of a black bear is higher than the front shoulders, and they do not have the prominent shoulder hump of the Grizzly and Brown bears. They have a broad head with rounded ears set well back on the head. The most common color phase is black or dark brown with light brown snout.

They are covered in a long thick fur that can vary in color. Black bears are the largest land mammals in South Carolina.