Endangered Species of South Carolina, USA
Black Bear

In the state of South Carolina lives the Ursus americanus also known as the black bear. It belongs in the Ursidae Family. Unfortunately, it's an endangered species. The black bear has become endangered for several reasons: poaching, over hunting for it's oil derived from it's fat, it's pelt, bear grease, and most importantly deforestation. The bear, who once lived throughout most of North America in forested areas, now number about 200,000. The black bears live in the mountainous regions of South Carolina and the coastal plains.

Black bears live 15-30 years in the wild with their enemies being man. However, the cubs have to worry about getting eaten by older male adult male bears, known as boars. Bears have a varied diet in the fall, which consists of meat such as nested birds, rodents, carion, young deer, and pronghorn porcupines. Depending on the season and the environment vegetative matter makes up between 80%-95% of the diet. During the spring black bears feed mainly on grasses, insect, berries, and fruits. It will gorge itself until its stomach can hold no more, sleep it off and start the process over again.

Females bears start breeding at the age of three and breed in June and July. They have a gestation period of two hundred and twenty days. Female bears, known as sows, have one to four cubs every two years. The sow has her cubs in winter dens which are small caves, deadfalls, or crevices. When cubs are born they're blind and deaf with very little fur and weigh less than a pound. Cubs stay with their mom until she's ready to mate again then she sends them away and the cubs stay together till they're three and ready to start their own life.

The black bear became famous over night partly because of President Theodore Roosevelt. While hunting, his party came across a black bear cub that he refused to shoot but rather, he took it home as a pet. This started a fad that Morris Michton of New York is credited with developing in 1906. He made stuffed black bears cubs and began calling them "teddy" bears. Stuffed bears are still called that today. 

Black bears have abilities such as tree climbing and running rapidly with speeds up to twenty miles per hour. Bears have a bad reputation of being dangerous but most are timid. However, there are a few attacks made by bears which usually are human error like teasing bears with food, getting to close to their young, or scaring the bear. 
Full grown black bears are medium sized about three to five feet tall weighing anywhere from one hundred thirty five pounds to five hundred pounds. The bear's physical characteristics are short tails, long muzzles, non-retractable claws, splashes of white color on the chest, and a brown face. Black bears are not only black but there's a chocolate brown, cinnamon, and blue black color as well. 

Bears hibernate in the sense that they are in a deep sleep but they awake to have their cubs, bears have an excellent sense of smell but poor sight and hearing. Bears protect themselves with powerful front claws and sharp teeth. Their molar teeth crush surfaces rather than cut surfaces. 

Black bears are protected by many different agencies such as The National Parks, American Bear Association, and Bear Advisory Group's Bear Den. 

Written by: Michelle
(by: 
Michelle Johnson
Mrs. Ferrell - 2nd period
Environmental Science
Dec. 8, 2000)

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