HABITAT and NICHE
The best habitat for black bears in Vermont is a mixture of coniferous trees, hardwoods, wetlands, and different terrains. Because they need thick cover to escape danger, black bears prefer rough and wooded habitats. The habitat should also have a good water supply close by. Coniferous trees provide protection from severe weather. Stands of beech and oak, as well as wetlands, are significant feeding areas for bears in Vermont.
Black bears climb trees to eat on ripening fruit and as a way to escape danger. Bears will sit near the trunk of a tree on a large branch and pull other branches towards them to eat the nuts. This eating place look like a large bird's nest. Bears climb trees using their claws, and claw marks can usually be seen on the trunk.
Although bears are often thought to hibernate, they are not true hibernators. A bear's respiration and metabolic rate do decrease during winter sleep, but a bear sleeping in a winter den can easily be woken up.
Food supplies are the most important factor determining when bears go to den in the fall. When foods are abundant, bears will continue eating throughout the first months of winter, into December. When foods are scarce, most bears are in dens by mid-November.
The den is usually a brush pile. It may also be a cave in rocky ledges, a hollow in a large tree or a fallen log, a sheltered depression dug out at the base of a long, tree, or upturned root, or even a hole dug into a hillside. Male bears den almost anywhere but females are more particular. They choose protected sites and line them with stripped bark, leaves, grasses, ferns or moss.
The best habitat for black bears in Vermont is a mixture of coniferous trees, hardwoods, wetlands, and different terrains. Because they need thick cover to escape danger, black bears prefer rough and wooded habitats. The habitat should also have a good water supply close by. Coniferous trees provide protection from severe weather. Stands of beech and oak, as well as wetlands, are significant feeding areas for bears in Vermont.
Black bears climb trees to eat on ripening fruit and as a way to escape danger. Bears will sit near the trunk of a tree on a large branch and pull other branches towards them to eat the nuts. This eating place look like a large bird's nest. Bears climb trees using their claws, and claw marks can usually be seen on the trunk.
Although bears are often thought to hibernate, they are not true hibernators. A bear's respiration and metabolic rate do decrease during winter sleep, but a bear sleeping in a winter den can easily be woken up.
Food supplies are the most important factor determining when bears go to den in the fall. When foods are abundant, bears will continue eating throughout the first months of winter, into December. When foods are scarce, most bears are in dens by mid-November.
The den is usually a brush pile. It may also be a cave in rocky ledges, a hollow in a large tree or a fallen log, a sheltered depression dug out at the base of a long, tree, or upturned root, or even a hole dug into a hillside. Male bears den almost anywhere but females are more particular. They choose protected sites and line them with stripped bark, leaves, grasses, ferns or moss.