Mammals of the Southwest Mountains and Mesas

by George Olin

Habitat: In the Southwest, the higher mountains mostly in the Transition Life Zone and above.

Description: The black bear needs little description because through pictures and reputation it has become well known to almost everyone. It averages 5 to 6 feet in total length with a tail so short as to be inconsequential. Height at shoulders is 2 to 3 feet. Weight 200 to 400 pounds. Color varies in the Southwest from deep, shining black through brown to light cinnamon. In all color phases the nose is brown almost back to the eyes and there is usually a white “blaze” on the chest. The legs are short and muscular. The feet are plantigrade, that is, the bear steps on the whole foot, not just the toes. There are stout claws on all four feet. The head proper is rather round, the muzzle long and pointed. Ears are relatively small, as are the dark eyes. The young number from one to four, with twins being very common. They are born while the mother is still in winter quarters. When the weather moderates to a point where she can leave, the cubs are large enough to follow her.

Bears are probably the most popular of our wild creatures to those who visit the National Park Service areas. Why this should be is hard to say. Perhaps it dates back to the nursery tale of the three bears, familiar to all of us from the time we were able to walk. Perhaps too it stems from the easy familiarity with which these roadside bandits hail the tourist in hopes of a handout. At any rate, these seemingly friendly clowns have become endeared to the hearts of the American public. This is regrettable because actually in the Park Service areas these big carnivores are the most dangerous of all animals. Native intelligence indicates to the bears that food may be had merely by standing up alongside the road when a car stops. More complicated routines are soon learned to wheedle bigger and better handouts. At this professional level, a substantial reward is expected when Bruin has “sung for his supper,” and should none be forthcoming, trouble is apt to ensue. This is but a minor annoyance to a bear, however, when compared with some of the indignities dealt out to these big creatures by a thoughtless public. It must be said in all fairness that anyone who teases a bear deserves whatever is handed out in return. It is unfortunate that retribution may be in the form of serious injury or even death. Though this applies mainly to the half-tame bears which roam along the highways in our National Parks, it is only common sense to avoid incidents with any bear wherever encountered. This is especially true of an old female with cubs, a combination well nigh irresistible to the average vacationer with camera.

In more remote areas where bears have not had contact with man, they are wary to the point of timidity. Gifted with a keen sense of hearing and smell which makes up for their poor eyesight, they are difficult to approach. Like most animals, they instinctively know that by “freezing” they can in most cases escape being seen. The sunburned coat of the brown phase of the black bear is especially hard to spot in the underbrush. However, with patience and the aid of binoculars, it should not be too difficult to get a glimpse into the private life of these engaging creatures.

black bear

Though bears, because of their dentition, are classed as carnivores, they might more accurately be termed omnivores. It is a matter of record that the black bear will eat almost anything, either animal or vegetable. Nevertheless, its appetite is prodigious and demands little variety, if but a few kind of foods are available. Its status as a predator is somewhat confused. Technically speaking, since the black bear preys on ground squirrels, mice and other small rodents it should be classed as a predator. It will also take young deer and elk whenever it can, but these opportunities come rarely. Actually this bear has little direct influence on its mammal neighbors. As a scavenger it has considerable value in cleaning up the remains of kills made by other predators.

Some of the small animals eaten are in almost amusing contrast with the huge size of their enemy. For instance, ants are eagerly lapped up by most bears, and they will literally tear old logs apart to get at these toothsome morsels. Grubs are another small item which may be found around fallen logs and under stones. Bears are extremely fond of honey and will go to great lengths to get at this delicacy, which they eat comb, bees, and all. Another food item which seems unusual is fish. At spawning time a bear will wade out into a stream and either snag a passing fish on its long claws or flip it out on the bank where it is more easily subdued. Finally, their natural animal diet is greatly augmented in most Park Service areas by the scraps and bones which they pick up on the garbage heaps. They can become a great nuisance in the camping areas where, under cover of darkness, their ingenuity and great strength enable them to steal many a ham and side of bacon.

Wide as this variety of animal food seems, it cannot equal the cosmopolitan tastes of these bears in a vegetable diet. Roots and bulbs of many species are dug up. Grass and browse are eaten during several seasons of the year; even pine needles are recorded as having been eaten. The liking of bears for berries of all kinds is well known. Arctostaphylos, the generic name of the manzanitas, translated from the Greek means “bear grape.” Pinyon nuts, acorns, chokecherries, and other stone fruits all are gathered in season. These heavy animals often damage trees severely in their search for fruit. On the garbage heaps, watermelon rinds and seeds, peelings of all kinds, leafy vegetables, and corn cobs add to the fare. All tin cans are licked clean, and in many cases greasy paper and cellophane wrappings are eaten.

The yearly cycle of a bear’s life is a study in contrasts. Much of the warm part of the year is spent in search for food with which to build up a store of fat so that the winter may be spent in inactivity. Bears hibernate or, more properly, retire for several months of the winter. They do not fall into the deep sleep indulged by some of the rodents. Theirs is an uneasy sleep broken by periods of lethargy when they are awake but avoid any activity. By these means they conserve enough of their thick layer of fat to live out the cold weather and emerge in early spring with a considerable reserve.