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The American Black Bear (Ursus americanus) is a medium-sized species of bear native to North America. It is the second smallest bear in the world, only behind the sun bear, but it is the smallest and most widely distributed of the 3 bear species in North America. American black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. Black bears are important in maintaining the ecological systems in their forests:

  • They disperse seeds across vast distances—even more seeds than birds.
  • Bears open up forest canopies that allows sun to filter to the forest floor, which creates greater biological diversity.
  • Bears break logs while grubbing, which helps the decomposition process and facilitates the return of nutrients to the soil.

American black bears often mark trees using their teeth and claws as a form of communication with other bears, a behavior common to many species of bears. Despite the name, some subspecies can be brown or even blond in coloration, including the spirit bear.


They typically live in largely forested areas, but do leave forests in search of food. Sometimes they become attracted to human communities because of the immediate availability of food. The American black bear is the world's most common bear species. It is listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as a least-concern species, due to its widespread distribution and a large population estimated to be twice that of all other bear species combined. Along with the brown bear, it is 1 of only 2 of the 8 modern bear species not considered by the IUCN to be globally threatened with extinction. American black bears often mark trees using their teeth and claws as a form of communication with other bears, a behavior common to many species of bears.

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