The American black bear, often seen by hikers in forests and mountainous country, is the smallest species of bear in North America. It’s about five feet long and weighs around 300 pounds. It has short legs with powerful claws and a stub of a tail. While technically known as the black bear, it is sometimes light brown or cinnamon in color, but it should not be confused with the Alaskan brown bear, the largest bear of North America.
Timid by nature, black bears avoid people, and it is rare for them to attack a person unless it’s a young bear who doesn’t know very well how to find food. They can also get aggressive if they are fed by humans. This is one reason forest rangers warn people not to feed or approach any wild animals, especially bears.
The black bear’s diet includes grass, roots, berries, nuts and other vegetation, as well as fish, small animals, dead animals, ants, bees and honey. Tearing beehives open, a bear is protected from the bees’ stings by its thick fur. They eat more berries and fruits in the summer, but focus on fatty nuts in the fall to prepare for hibernation.
Black bears in the north hibernate individually in caves or dens in the fall, remaining until early spring. During this hibernation period, females give birth to two to five little cubs. They are about the size of a kitten and are hairless and blind for a month or so. Their mother’s milk is their only food until springtime, when they have grown to about the size of a tomcat.
When they leave the cave in the spring, the mother teaches her cubs how to find food and climb trees and keep safe from predators. They will keep close to their mother for 16 to 18 months. The cubs are full of energy — wrestling, climbing small trees and swaying them back and forth before jumping off. They enjoy riding a smaller tree down to the ground and then climbing back up to do it again ... over and over.
The hibernation of animals is referred to in our opening Bible verse. God knows all about all the animals, and He cares for them too. No one has ever known a bear or other animal to be unhappy because of cold weather. In this way, bears are wiser than many of us, since we may often complain about uncomfortable things. It is much better to trust God even in hard things, remembering that He works them all for our good (Romans 8:2828And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)) and that He says, “In everything give thanks” (1 Thessalonians 5:1818In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)).
Did You Know?
While technically known as the black bear, it is sometimes light brown or cinnamon in color.
Messages of God’s Love 11/30/2025