What do black bears eat?
Today, black bears are found in North America, Europe, and Asia.
They live a majority of their life in a den, feeding off berries and other plants during the winter months.
However, summertime is different.
During the summer months, bears have to gain weight to store up for the long winter hibernation they will have to do again.
In order to do this, they eat whatever is available to them.
What Black Bears Eat
Although black bears are omnivores, most of the time they obtain nutrients from plants.
Black bears are opportunistic foragers, meaning that they will take advantage of any food found to keep them alive through hibernation.
Bears are known to eat grasses, nuts, roots, and other vegetation.
Insects such as grubs and larvae are also a part of the black bear’s diet during the summer months.
Frequently seen foods include berries, tree bark, and fish (if they can catch them).
Also, insects like ants and yellow jackets may be eaten by the bear if it is able to catch them.
They will also eat any carrion (dead animals) that they can find, including decaying carcasses of livestock or deer.
Human foods are another acceptable meal for black bears; garbage cans can be raided looking for an easy meal.
The black bear is one of the best hunters in the animal kingdom.
They are able to species animals with their excellent sense of smell, hearing, and sight.
Black bears are known to prey on small animals such as rabbits or rodents that they find in bushes or burrows.
Although bears may be seen feeding on grasses, many times this is only a front for them to be able to stalk small animals in hiding.
Larger animals such as deer, elk, and moose are also targets of the black bear’s hunting tactics.
The bear will chase prey in order to slow it down and have an easier time killing it by breaking its neck or stabbing it with its strong claws.
