Life Expectancy and Mortality
What’s In an Age?
Determining the average life-span for wild black bears is very
difficult.
The 2 oldest known bears from Florida were 20 years old (killed in 1985
during a legal bear hunt held on Apalachicola Wildlife Management Area)
and 19 years old (captured in 2004 as part of a University of Kentucky
Glades/Highland Bear Population Study). Both bears were females (sows).
The oldest known male, from the Ocala population, was killed by a
vehicle at age 16.
In zoos, black bears have been known to live into their 30's. Adult
black bears have no predators besides humans and other bears, but do
suffer mortality from other sources such as transportation related
mortality.
Life Expectancy and Mortality:
Cubs: Approximately 25-50% of all cubs die before they turn one year
old. Natural causes of death include drowning, den cave-ins, hypothermia
due to flooded dens, starvation, infections from injuries, and predation
(by other bears). They are also struck by vehicles.
Juveniles: Yearlings will establish their own home range once they
disperse from their mother. Yearlings are susceptible to high mortality
rates as a result of starvation, predation by other bears, and vehicle
collisions. About a quarter will die before they turn two years old.
-
Young, independent females establish a home range
close to their mother. About 20% die before reaching adulthood (~4
years old).
-
Juvenile males travel farther in search of a new
home range. The traveling needed to forage and find new den sites in
unknown territory increases mortality risks, and approximately 46%
of males will die before reaching adulthood.
 
Adults: Once fully grown, black bears have no predators besides
humans and other bears. Main causes of mortality are old age,
vehicle collisions, starvation, and poaching (Florida has no legal
hunting season), other bears, disease, and accidents.
 
Hunting:
The legal bear hunting season was reduced to certain areas of the
state in 1974, then further reduced until it was closed statewide in
1994. Click the link to see a timeline of including hunting
regulations and other
state management activities regarding the
Florida Black Bear.
Disease and Parasites:
Little information is available on the diseases and parasites of
wild black bears. Research shows that, while bears host external
parasites (ticks and mites) and several types of internal parasites
(helminths, nematodes, trematodes, and acanthocephalams); they are
not believed to cause any significant
health problems to bears.
|
|
