Black Bear - Ursus americanus
This was interesting. I took my kids hiking today and they were playing at a river when a creeper came along. So, we left the river and went into the woods. Within a couple minutes, my younger son said, "There's a bear!" I looked up and found that I was face-to-face with a bear cub, who was standing less than 5 meters from me. I instructed my kids to stay still as we saw the momma bear and another cub come strolling into the woods. But, as with most black bears, they were more afraid of us than we were of them (although my kids might claim otherwise). Still, it was a tense moment to encounter a mother bear with cubs at such close distance.
Sadly this is the only photo I took as the bears were retreating. The bear pictured was one of the cubs.
Habitat: Deciduous forest adjacent to a meadow
The American black bear is a medium-sized bear native to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most common bear species. Black bears are omnivores with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. They typically live in largely forested areas, but do leave forests in search of food.
