Habitat

Black bears prefer to live in dense forest. An abundant amount of vegetation is necessary for their survival. Each bear inhabits an average home range of about 11 square miles of land and can be found in a wide variety of habitats across their range. This habitat varies from the forested and shrubby areas, to wet meadows, conifer forests, high tidelands, ridgetops, burned areas, riparian areas, agricultural fields, and swamp land.

Range

The American black bear is distributed throughout North America, from Canada to Mexico and in 32 states in the U.S. They historically occupied nearly all of the forested regions of North America, but in the U.S. they are now restricted to the forested areas less densely occupied by humans. In Canada, black bears still inhabit most of their historic range except for the intensively farmed areas of the central plains. In Mexico, black bears were thought to have inhabited the mountainous regions of the northern states but are now limited to a few remnant populations.

In Florida, the majority of black bears are found in Ocala, Apalachicola, and Osceola National Forest, also in the Blackwater State Forest Complex. The Florida black bear also inhabits small parts of southern Georgia and Alabama. The loss of habitat is the biggest threat to the black bear existence. Highways, homes, and other buildings have pushed the bears out of their natural habitat and into domesticated areas which has led to the number one cause of fatality, automobile accidents.