Mammal

Even though I’m called the Black Bear, I sometimes have brown or even cinnamon colored fur.

My life consists of eating and fattening up for a winter spent in my den. For me, eating is an obsession. To find a food source rich in fat I will travel hundreds of kilometers. I have an excellent memory, and I will then return to it year after year.

I sleep all winter, but I certainly can come out of my torpor. In fact, I give birth in January while still in my den. My cubs are tiny at birth. They weigh less than a squirrel! However, feeding on the extremely rich mother’s milk, they grow very rapidly.

My gall bladder and paws are reputed by some to have medicinal and aphrodisiac properties. How ridiculous! This false belief has had disastrous consequences as it makes me a target for poachers. In some parts of the world, one dehydrated gall bladder will fetch up to $50,000! If you witness any act of poaching, do not hesitate to report it to the authorities.