Tropicalia wild file: Florida black bear
Ursus americanus floridanusby: Amy Williams; newspress.com
After dipping to a low of about 300 bears in the state in the 1970s, the population has grown again to about 3,000, biologists estimate — enough that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission recently took the black bear off the state's threatened list.
Black bears are Florida's largest land mammal, with males averaging about 350 pounds, and females roughly half of that. Collier County and the Big Cypress Preserve contain one of Florida's largest populations, since bears prefer deep, thick woods, and can adapt well to wetland conditions.
Their name aside, the most common color for black bears is a rich dark brown. Many have white chests, and a cinnamon color is not uncommon, either. They have rounded short ears, a short tail, big sharp teeth and five-toed feet tipped with 4-inch claws for climbing or fighting.
After bears mate, the females give birth to litters of two to four cubs, each no bigger than a squirrel — about 10 to 15 ounces. By the second summer of the bears' lives, Mama pushes them out of the den and into the world to make their own way.
Florida black bears don't hibernate in the winter, but females do what's called "winter denning" — holing up somewhere quiet like a large hollow log or a deep tangle of scrub, for about five months.
Contrary to what many imagine, the bears' diet consists mostly of plant material such as the hearts of saw palmetto and cabbage palms, and fruits and nuts of all kinds. They add to that both bees and yellow jackets, many insects, and whatever smaller creatures they can catch: armadillos, raccoons, wild hogs and sometimes white-tailed deer.
Shuffling and slow in appearance, black bears should not be underestimated. They can climb well and run 30 miles or more per hour. Plus, they can smell you — literally — more than a mile away.