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Bearing It All

© Karen E. Lynn

" Single Black Bear, 18 year old 400 lb. male seeks similar female for 2-3 weeks of frolicking fun. Likes walks in the woods, blueberries, wildflowers. Equally happy enjoying a night out at the city dump or quiet nights at home in the den."

Yes, it's spring time again. When a young bear's fancy turns to thoughts of love. In the woods of New England, the month of June signifies many things. Black flies begin to subside. Trails are drying up, signaling the end to the mud season. Everything is in full bloom. June also marks the only time resident black bears mate for the year. They have just 2 to 3 weeks of breeding before they reconcentrate all their efforts to foraging.

Black bears are prevalent throughout the country. Their size and weight vary greatly depending on food availability and climate. Ranging from 125-600 lb., most bears weigh in at about 200-400 lb. Not all Black bears are black. In fact, many are brown or tawny, but are much smaller than their cousins the Brown bear, primarily found in Canada.

Here in New England, mature female Black bears (3-5 years in age) will mate with several partners in a few weeks time in June. Females breed every other year, caring for offspring during non-breeding years. Male bears do not participate in rearing young. Cubs are solely dependent upon their mothers, and oftentimes fall victim to male bear aggression.

After the act of mating, fertilized embryos are the subject of a remarkable process. Embryos enter a blastocyst stage, or a dormant period. During this time of delayed implantation, the fertilized ovum floats freely and divides multiple times inside the mother bears' uterus for about 6 months time. After the mother dens for the winter, the embryo attaches itself to the uterine wall sometime in late November. Cubs are born within 8 weeks. Numbering anywhere between 1 and 4 cubs, they are virtually helpless. Tiny, blind, and hairless, cubs are feisty enough to sustain themselves on their sleeping mother's milk. Loaded with 20% fat, bear's milk is high in calories. Cubs grow strong enough to follow their waking mother from the den just 5 weeks later.

Cubs are weaned sometime in July through September of their first year. Mother bears care for their children through the first full winter, then drive off their young in the spring in preparation for mating again. At this time, adolescent bears must sink or swim, surviving on their own. Typically solitary animals, sometimes young bears will pair up for a

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