02/02/2026
Bears are opportunistic omnivores! 🐻
Black bears are opportunistic omnivores with a diet consisting primarily (75-90%) of plant material, including berries, nuts, acorns, fruits, roots, and succulent plants. They supplement this with insects (bees, ants, termites), larvae, honey, fish, small mammals, carrion, and occasionally human food waste.
Key Components of a Black Bear's Diet:
🌱 Plants & Vegetation: Grasses, berries, fruit, acorns, hazelnuts, tubers, and tree bark.
🐜 Insects & Protein: Ants, beetles, termites, and bee larvae (often accessed by breaking into hives for honey).
🐁 Meat & Carrion: Small mammals (voles, rodents), carrion (dead carcasses), and occasionally fawns in the spring. 🦌
Bears diet changes with the seasons - such as focusing on high-calorie nuts and berries in the fall to prepare for hibernation! Geographic location also impacts a black bears diet!
