American Black Bears (3)

Description:

American black bears are the smallest (averaging 240 lbs.) and most widely distributed of the North American bear species. Despite their common name, black bears also commonly come in brown and occasionally bordering on white fur. They can be distinguished from brown bears by the lack of a hump on the upper back and by their size. While mama in this picture is clearly black, it's interesting to see that one cub is black and the other is brown.

Habitat:

Heavily wooded (often mountainous) areas.

Notes:

What can I say? I'm a bear magnet - spotted 4 within two days here in Alaska. I was hiking the Perseverance Trail when I spotted this mama and her two cubs wandering around on the mountainside across the ravine. I moved the location marker to where the bears were. I was on the trail to the left and this one put my new long camera lens to the test.