Pregnant females give birth to cubs in their dens, forcing them to den during the winter regardless of food availability or weather conditions. At southern latitudes with warmer climates, such as Louisiana, where some natural foods are available during the winter, some males remain active. Dormant bears do not eat, drink, urinate, or defecate. During this time, a bear’s body temperature drops, metabolism decreases by half, and heart rate is reduced. Instead, they go through a dormancy period called “carnivoran lethargy”-a prolonged period of inactivity that enables bears to survive food shortages and adverse weather conditions during the winter (December through March). They have a good sense of smell but have poor eyesight.īlack bears do not truly hibernate. Black bears are good swimmers and can also climb trees. The average litter size for Louisiana black bears is two, although litters three to five cubs have been documented.īlack bear activity revolves around the search for food, water, cover, and potential mates. Females first reproduce around 2 to 3 years of age males typically do not reach reproductive maturity until they are 3 to 4 years old. Bears living at southern latitudes also often eat colonial species such as honeybees and their nests.īlack bears typically breed during the summer (May through August). From examining bear scat, researchers found evidence that bears in the Tensas River Basin subpopulation feed on wild hogs and white-tailed deer in the fall. Throughout all seasons, Louisiana black bear frequently eat beetles and other insects. As a result, bears that are active during winter primarily eat grass and herbaceous vegetation they also scavenge for leftover acorns and pecans. During winter, there is very little hard mast available. In late fall, bears mainly feed on hard mast (fruit of forest trees) such as oaks and hickories, as well as palmetto fruit and corn. In fact, a study in the Tensas River Basin suggested that corn, a non-native agricultural crop, comprised the majority of black bear diets during late summer (33.3%) and early fall (30.6%).
In late summer, Louisiana black bears still forage on berries but also eat agricultural crops. In Louisiana, black bears rely heavily on soft mast such as blackberries, dewberries, and leaf buds during spring and early summer.
Food quantity and quality are important factors in determining where black bears live.Īlthough classified as carnivores, black bears are best described as opportunistic omnivores because they eat almost anything that is available, including vegetation, berries, insects, and nuts that naturally occur in forests and other productive ecosystems. Generally require the dense cover and diversity of food resources that healthy forests provide. Range has expanded into upland areas including piney woods habitat west and east of the Mississippi River.
Department of Agriculture - Wildlife Services.Found primarily in the forested wetlands of the Mississippi Alluvial Valley however, have been sighted in almost every parish in Louisiana. įor information on managing wildlife interactions and resolving human-wildlife conflicts, the Virginia Wildlife Conflict Helpline is available toll-free at (855) 571-9003, 8:00AM-4:30PM, Monday through Friday.This helpline is a collaborative effort between the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources and the U.S. More information on black bears in Virginia can be found at. More information on black bears in Virginia and ways to reduce conflicts can be found at and. The Fairfax County Animal Protection Police do not take action to remove bears from neighborhoods. Removal of a bear from an area is a decision not taken lightly, is normally a last result, and typically a consequence of human actions related to intentional or unintentional feeding. The DWR is the responsible agency for determining the appropriate actions to resolve human-bear conflict. If you are experiencing a problem with a bear or wildlife, please contact the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) by calling the toll-free Virginia Wildlife Conflict Helpline at 85.
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