American black bear

Smaller than the brown bear and the polar bear, the American black bear occupies vast territories throughout the North American continent, from Alaska to Florida. It tends to prefer forests and mountains, but it can also be found in the tundras of the far north and the swamps of the south-east USA. Its fur ranges in colour from black to creamy white via every shade of brown. It is a solitary animal except during breeding periods. This extremely agile bear is capable of standing up and walking a few metres on its hind legs. It can also climb trees thanks to its powerful claws, swim across lakes, and run at speeds of more than 50 km/h. The black bear is omnivorous but its diet is mainly composed of plants: herbs, seeds, berries and other fruits. Its vision is poor, but this is compensated by its keen sense of smell and acute hearing. Black bears living in “cold” regions do not hibernate but enter a state of torpor as winter approaches: their heart rate drops from 50 to 10 beats per minute, they stop eating and drinking, and they live in slow motion for 4 to 7 months.