American black bears (Ursus americanus) are by far the most abundant species of bear, numbering more than twice that of all other bear species combined. Many US states share this history of black bear decline and resurgence, and today have burgeoning bear populations. To a large extent, the comeback of this species has been a consequence of restrictions on killing, and a fundamental change in how the public perceives and reacts to black bears. However, the success of this species is also due to its biological adaptiveness – its ability to live in a vast array of habitats, to adapt to radically variable food conditions, and to tolerate the presence of people and the changes they have imposed on the landscape. This chapter highlights the adaptability of the black bear using an extensive and diverse data set spanning 38 years. We explore reasons for their commonness, using a long-term case study from near the geographic center of this species’ range: Minnesota, USA.

This chapter comprises the following sections: names, taxonomy, subspecies and distribution, descriptive notes, habitat, movements and home range, activity patterns, feeding ecology, reproduction and growth, behavior, parasites and diseases, status in the wild, and status in captivity.