The growth ring method is only accomplished by the removal of a tooth once a bear has been caught in a snare trap and the biologists have a go at it.
Age is determined by the amount of tooth wear, or the number of growth rings in the roots of canine teeth, or premolars. Adult females weigh 90 to 300 pounds, and males weigh 125 to 500 pounds or more.Ī Florida black bear’s life span is generally 15-20 years in the wild and 25-30 years in captivity. By the time they leave their mother, during the second year, they weigh about 100 pounds. Cubs do not leave the den until about two months of age, and continue to nurse from their mother throughout the summer, and fall. At about 40 days old their eyes open, they are well furred, their first teeth appear, and they weigh about 2 pounds. The cubs are born hairless, blind, and weighing only 6-8 ounces. Twins and occasionally triplets are born in January or February. The embryos are implanted in the uterus in mid-winter, and gestation lasts from 6-8 weeks. The female’s embryos undergo delayed implantation for 5-6 months.
Females breed in alternate years during June & July. When they are foraging they usually destroy the tree stump or log to get at the insects inside and will totally destroy cabbage palms and palmettos in order to get at the tender hearts.įemales are able to reproduce at three years of age, and generally do so by the time they are 4 years old. Plant material makes up 80% of their diet, which consists of acorns, berries, fruits, palmetto berries, grass, honey, seeds, nuts, buds, roots, tubers, the inner bark of twigs, hearts of palm, insects, grubs, lizards, snakes, frogs, fish, rodents, armadillos, bird eggs, wild hog, deer, and carrion. The nest is generally a depression found in a palmetto thicket, or tangle of vines, lined with pine straw and leaves.īlack bears feed throughout the day and night however, they are most active during the night and early morning hours. Many times a temporary nest, or bed, is made on the ground for resting or napping. Black bears climb well, and some dens may be well above ground level. A den may be made in a variety of situations, including logs, stumps, tree cavities, caves, banks & culverts. The female may stay in her den for a few months. Torpor tends to be more common in females who den when they are producing cubs. In Florida they may do so only during extremely severe winter weather. Johns River Basin, Highlands Hammock State Park, and Big Cypress National Preserve.įlorida black bears do not hibernate, but rather go into a semi-hibernation state known as torpor. There are also Florida black bear populations in Eglin Air Force Base, Apalachicola National Forest, Osceola National Forest, Ocala National Forest, St. Here, in Hernando County, we are lucky enough to have a very small population in the Chassahowtizka National Wildife Refuge which we share with Citrus County.
The majority of Florida is far too developed to support bear populations however, there are populations in several areas of the state. The Florida black bear ( Ursus americanus floridanus), a subspecies of the American black bear, is found in heavily wooded terrain, particularly hardwood swamp, cypress swamp, and undisturbed upland forest.
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