Many years ago, the American black bear lived all over the United States. Now, it only lives in wilderness areas. This bear lives in our national parks where there are no people. It likes the forests near mountains.

An American black bear is not always black. It can be brown, black, or blonde. Some have a white patch of fur on their chest. This bear is also called a cinnamon bear.

The black bear is the smallest bear living in North America. This bear is very good at climbing. It uses its short, sharp claws to climb up and down tall trees. The black bear is also a very good swimmer. It will go into water to get fish for dinner.

The black bear hibernates during the wintertime. It makes a den in a burrow, in a hollow tree, or a small cave.

The female alone raises a litter of one to three cubs. Bear cubs are born near the end of winter. The cubs drink only the mother’s milk for about seven months. Cubs will stay with their mother for about one and a half years.

A black bear eats lots of different kinds of foods. When a bear finds people food at campsites or garbage dumps, it stops hunting for food in the wild. Sometimes this puts people in danger. People food is not healthy for the bear. People need to protect all wild life.