- Black bears are not like friendly cartoon bears. They are smart, curious, powerful and potentially dangerous.
- Adult males can weigh between 120-270 kilograms (250-600 pounds).
- Adult females can weigh between 45-180 kilograms (100-400 pounds).
- Most black bears in Ontario have black fur, but a few can be dark brown to light brown.
- In Ontario, black bears live in forests from Lake Ontario in the south to Hudson Bay in the north.
- Black bears are omnivores. They eat plants, animals and human foods that are easy to get at.
- Black bears feed from the middle of April until late fall.
- In the fall, black bears eat for up to 20 hours a day!
- Black bears eat a variety of foods. They get most of their food energy by feeding on summer berry crops like blueberries, strawberries and raspberries, as well as hazel nuts, mountain ash, acorns and beech nuts in the fall.
- Black bears will travel more than 100 kilometres (km) to find food. If black bears cannot find natural foods, they will travel to find other food, including garbage.
- They can double their body weight during summer and fall getting ready for winter.
- By early November, most black bears move into their dens for the winter.
Black bears are an important part of our ecosystem. Black bears are not usually dangerous animals. Admire them. Respect them. But please, don’t feed them.
Download a PDF version of this fact sheet.
TO REPORT BEAR PROBLEMS: contact the Bear Reporting Line at:
1-866-514-2327 (TTY) 705 945-7641
In a life-threatening emergency, call your local police or 911.
