07/30/2020
- 2. American Black Bears
It may be the most common bear species in North America, but it is certainly not ordinary - and we all love 'em - so this week we have a few informative posts about this, the most "mis-named", bear.
You would think the American Black Bear would be black, but that's only partially true. Sure, some are clearly black, but they come in a wide range of colors - black, red, blonde, blue, chocolate and cinnamon - and many shades in between.
In many eastern and midwestern states – New York, Michigan, Maine and Tennessee – 100 percent of bears surveyed are black. There do seem to be pockets where “cinnamon bears” – black bears with a reddish-tinged coat – show up. About one percent of bears in north-central Pennsylvania, for instance, reportedly exhibit this coloration.
As you move west, the black bear’s common name becomes increasingly less appropriate. In Minnesota, some sources state that 5 percent of black bears are brown. In the Rockies, though, half or more of all bears are various shades of brown: light brown (often called blonde bears), dark brown (chocolate) and reddish (cinnamon).
In inland Washington State, 79 percent of black bears are brown or blonde; in Yosemite National Park, it’s 91 percent.
● More on Black Bear colour phases here:
https://blog.nature.org/science/2017/02/07/when-black-bear-actually-blue-bear-color-phases-grizzly-identification/
And I'm sure someone will notice - this poster has forgotten the white, Kermode (or Sprit) Bear. But our posts won't forget them!
● Image: Peppermint Narwhal Creative www.facebook.com/peppermintnarwhalcreative/
