American Black Bear:

America's Black Bear

In North America, the black bear (Ursus americanus) is the most common species of bear. It is native to the continent and ranges from northern Alaska to Mexico. In fact the black bear is found in 41 of the 50 states in the U.S.A. While the Brown Bear is Eurasian in origin, the black bear is currently thought to have evolved in North America about two million years ago.

A close relative to the Black Bear is the Asiatic Black Bear which shared a common ancestor.

Subspecies of Black Bear:

There are several different subspecies of black bear including the Cinnamon Bear, Glacier Bear and Kermode Bear. The following list describes some of the accpeted subspecies.

Ursus americanus altifrontalis	This subspecies lives in the Pacific NW from central BC to northern Cal and inland to Northern Idaho.
Ursus americanus amblyceps	Found in CO, NM, AZ, west TX, southeaster Utah and northern Mexico.
Ursus americanus americanus	This subspecies is widespread from eastern MT to the east coast. Its found as far north as Alaska and south to TX.
Ursus americanus californiensis	This California bear is found in the mountains from southern Oregon to southern CA.
Ursus americanus carlottae	The Queen Charlotte Black Bear is found on the Queen Charlotte Islands and the Alaska mainland.
Ursus americanus cinnamomum	The Cinammon Bear is found in ID, western MT, WY, eastern WA, northeastern UT and OR.
Ursus americanus emmonsii	Found in southeastern AK
Ursus americanus eremicus	Lives in northeastern Mexico
Ursus americanus floridanus	In the south this bear ranges from FL, southern Georgia to Alabama.
Ursus americanus hamiltoni	This bear lives on the island of Newfoundland
Ursus americanus kermodei	The Kermode Bear lives on the central coast of British Columbia
Ursus americanus luteolus	Found natively in eastern TX, LA, and southern MS
Ursus americanus machetes	Native to north-central Mexico
Ursus americanus perniger	Native to the Kenai Pennisula, AK
Ursus americanus pugnax	Found on the Alexander Archipelago in AK
Ursus americanus vancouveri

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Cite this Page: Chamberlain, H. 2009. "American Black Bear" (OnLine) UntamedScience. Accessed Jul 29, 2010 at http://www.untamedscience.com/biodiversity/animals/chordates/mammals/carnivorans/bears/ursus/american-black-bear