Hanging Out

Black bear cubs are born in January and weigh between 8 ounces and 16 ounces. They are born blind, covered with fine hair and they nurse on their... more

by Wildlife Fine Art

Title

Hanging Out

Artist

Wildlife Fine Art

Medium

Photograph - Prints

Description

Black bear cubs are born in January and weigh between 8 ounces and 16 ounces. They are born blind, covered with fine hair and they nurse on their mother￿s milk. Cubs grow very quickly and they weigh about 80 pounds by the time they are one year old. They remain with their mother for one and a half years and at this age, they are called yearlings. Once the yearlings leave their mother, they go to live in their own area, called a home range. They can climb trees and they are strong swimmers. By the time the cubs toddle out of the den at 2 to 3 months of age, they weigh 4 to 6 pounds, depending on how much milk their mother produced and how many littermates they shared it with. The better developed cubs cab immediately climb trees but cannot outrun wolves or other bears. Their mother defends them, warms them, and nurses them, sometimes sitting and cradling them in her forelegs while licking their heads and nursing them. Foraging mothers come immediately when their cubs cry. Cubs taste what their mothers eat in the month after emerging from dens, but they do not begin eating solid food until their chewing teeth erupt later in spring. They continue to suckle nearly until they hibernate in fall. In fall, mothers do most of the den construction, but the cubs help rake leaves and twigs for bedding. They sleep snuggled together for warmth and protection with the mother nearest to the entrance.

Uploaded

July 20th, 2013