American black bear

Ursus americanus

The bear that sleeps without eating

Numbers

There are about twice as many American black bears as all the other bear species in the world combined.
A black bear can be black, chocolate, cinnamon, blond or white, so its name describes only some of them.
Its nose is about seven times more sensitive than a dog's, and smell is the sense it trusts most.
During its winter sleep its heart slows to about eight beats a minute, yet its wounds keep healing.
It can spend three to eight months in its den without eating, drinking or leaving to use the bathroom.
Cubs are born in the den in late January or early February and weigh less than a pound.
A bear of about one hundred twenty pounds was seen flipping rocks of over three hundred pounds with one leg.
Before its winter sleep a black bear can weigh about thirty percent more than when it wakes up in spring.
On islands in western Canada, the white-furred Kermode bears catch salmon about thirty percent more often than black ones.
Teddy bears became famous after newspapers told how President Theodore Roosevelt refused to shoot a black bear cub.

Five questions about this animal. Pick an answer and find out if it is the right one.

Question 1 of 5

What color can an American black bear be?

Question 2 of 5

How does a black bear spend the winter?

Question 3 of 5

How fast does a black bear's heart beat during its winter sleep?

Question 4 of 5

What is a black bear's sharpest sense?

Question 5 of 5

Where are black bear cubs born?

Experiment 1

Count your pulse for one minute while sitting still. A sleeping black bear's heart beats only eight times in that same minute.

Experiment 2

Hide a cotton ball with a drop of vanilla somewhere in a room and find it by smell. A black bear's nose is seven times keener than a dog's.

Experiment 3

Weigh a backpack, then add books until it is one third heavier. A black bear gains about that much before its winter sleep.