The Black Bear 
 By:  Alesha
 The Black Bear is the smallest bears of North America.  Adult bears stand about 29 inches at the shoulders and measure about 60 inches from the nose to the tail.  The tail is only about 2 inches long.  Males are larger than females.  An average adult male weighs about 180-200 pounds.  In the fall the bears are 20% heavier than they are in the winter after the winter dormancy.  The color of the bear varies from jet black and white.  A very rare occasion happens in Kermode Island and in Brittish Colombia.  The color black is the most encountered bear.  Black bears have a small patch of white on their chest.
 The Black Bear eats freshly sprouted green vegetation is what they eat during the spring.  In the winter the animals often die, they are quickly eaten.  In some areas the bears have been found to eat new-born moose calfs.  During the summer the bears try to get as many salmon as they can if it’s available.  In areas where salmon is not available bears  rely on merely vegetation.
Source
Alaska Wildlife Notebook Series
www.state.ak.us/local/akpages/FISH.GAME/notebook/notehome.htm
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