I love bears, and I am deeply humbled to have the opportunity to observe them up close! As I have stated in my previous blog, “Looking into the Eyes of a Black Bear,” bears are beyond magical! I discussed my one up-close and personal encounter, and I’ll never forget it.
I am continuing my unscientific Black bear study, and I am learning more about these beautiful large mammals. As I observe black bear behavior, I research to understand better what they are doing and why.
The American black bear is not as large as the Grizzly, but it is incredibly hardy and wide-ranging. The males have more extensive territories, and the females share areas and resources to better provide for their cubs and themselves. I believe that our house is right in the middle of one of the female black bear territories.
This year I have observed several new bear visitors, and I look at my photos carefully for individual markings and characteristics so I can recognize them in the future.
I haven’t seen Pillow, the matriarch, or Ursa, another female adult black bear, in a long time, I hope they’re okay.
I was thrilled to see Rose and her baby! I recognize Rose by her sweet face and the shape of her ears.
Note: My granddaughter named the baby Samantha, if it is a girl, and Sam if its a boy. Then a friend suggested the name Sammy because that could be a boy or girl’s name.
The baby is adorable. Unfortunately, the only up close picture I have to share is a little blurry, but I can give you some sized comparison.
I measured the siding of the house for comparison (I know that it is almost impossible for you to read the measurements), and the back of the baby bear reaches approximately 12 inches, and mom’s back reaches approximately 43 to 44 inches.
Rose probably emerged from hibernation around the first of April. We are above the snow line, but the weather can still be very mild, so I am not sure about the typical length of the black bear hibernation period. Anyway, Sammy will stay with Rose for one to two years, and Rose will protect her baby from danger, teach good bear behaviors, and survival in the wild.
I noticed that when Rose walked through our property, she moved very quickly, and I assumed that she was protecting Sammy. The new and huge cinnamon-colored bear preceded her by a matter of minutes. I believe that the new bear was a male and Rose was avoiding him. Males are larger than the females and can weigh between 150 and 300 pounds but sometimes reaching up to 600 pounds. Sadly, male bears have been known to kill cubs .
I named this big guy, Pooh, because he reminded me of Winnie the Pooh.
The photo below is the bear that I had the up-close and personal encounter with. After we looked at one another, this bear moved on to a nearby tree and proceeded to stand on its hind legs and rub its back on the tree. All the while watching me. It then proceeded to move on towards the game trail.
One reason for the success of the black bear is its highly varied diet. The forests in the Sierras and Arnold, in particular, provide an abundance of food for the bear population. Black bears are opportunists and consume approximately 15 pounds of food per day, which includes seeds, roots, berries, insects, grasses, and protein sources (i.e., rodents, rabbits, lizards, and deer carcasses).
As much as I love and respect black bears, there is another equally magical predator, and I will write about the Bobcat next.
Hi Nikki,
Love your bear posts. Please keep posting all your wonderful wildlife pictures. I’m certainly no expert on bears but Pillow looks quite old.
Hi Terry, Thank you so much for commenting!!! I agree that Pillow looks much older than the other bears. I was surprised by her size and body shape. She is enormous, and she appears to have a hump on her back. As I understand it, Black Bears do not typically have the hump, but Grizzly bears do. Take care! I miss you!
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