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Florida Black Bear

Bears are Florida's largest wild land animal, occasionally weighing as much as 600 pounds, although the average adult weighs between 200 and 475. They are black with brown muzzles and sometimes white blazes on their chests. They can run at speeds of more than 30 miles per hour for short distances.

Usually shy and solitary (except females with cubs), bears have a sharp sense of smell, good hearing and color vision. They are not normally aggressive: a bear attack on a human has never been documented in Florida.

Although black bears are omnivorous, they eat mostly acorns and seasonal berries from palmetto, tupelo and gallberry. They also eat insects and occasionally armadillos, wild pigs and deer.

These native Florida mammals breed during the summer. Usually two cubs, which stay with their mother about 18 months, are born in January or February. Young bears are weaned in August, but may stay with their mothers for a year. Black bears may live up to 30 years in the wild.

Because black bears need large areas of diverse habitats and suitable habitat is dwindling, only about 3,000 black bears remain in Florida. Female bears require about 7,000 to 16,000 acres of home range; males need about 35,000 to 52,000 acres. Often their home ranges overlap.

People who live in bear country should also be very careful with their garbage -- an easy meal tempts bears out of the deep woods, where they belong. Both garbage and intentional feeding lead to nuisance bears and bears crossing highways to get to the food. Do not feed bears and remember to wait until the morning of pickup day to set out your garbage.

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