Watch What Happens When This Pesky Bear Hops the Fence and Invades a Pigsty

This black bear has let its curiosity get the better of it – and soon learns that it has made a big mistake! Things do not go according to plan and these pigs are braver than expected. As the video at the bottom of this page shows, black bears are resourceful and opportunistic but also know when to back off!

What to Black Bears Normally Eat?

North American black bears (Ursus americanus) are medium-sized bears and a native species of North America. Even though they are called black bears they can actually be dark brown, cinnamon or even tan or white.

As they are omnivores, they eat both plants and animals. However, their diet and the amount of food that they eat varies throughout the year. For example, during fall they eat for 20 hours a day so that they can put on 100 pounds a week. They need around 20,000 calories a day at this time of year. In spring and summer it is more like 5,000 calories a day.

They eat mainly plants – berries, roots and grasses. However, they will also eat fish, insects and larvae, honey and carrion. They will also catch deer, elk and moose. As we see here – they have been caught pinching livestock.

The problem is that they can get very bold and habituated to accessing human food and garbage. This can make them a nuisance and can make them dangerous. It has even been known for bears to forego hibernation and spend the winter eating human food instead!

Black Bear Diet by Season

Because black bears are opportunistic eaters their diet changes with what is available. In spring they like flowers and leaves because they have a higher protein content at this time of year. Also, the plant cell walls have not yet developed cellulose and lignin. Their favorites are clovers, catkins and dandelions. Deer fawn and moose calves are their preferred source of animal protein at this time of year.  

In the summer they are more likely to favor berries and fruits and eat ants, bees and wasps for animal protein. In the fall, you are likely to see them feasting on fish (if they are in a location where they can catch them), roots and grasses and wounded animals or carrion. In the winter they hibernate. Then, the whole cycle begins again!

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