 Nature's Autumn Bounty – Bear Buffet
A black bear at the Maine Wildlife Park. Photo by Jocelyn Hubbell.
Acorns roll and crack underfoot as I cross the meadow under the gnarly massive branches of an old oak. I think of all the animals that will feast on the life-bearing and life-sustaining nuts. Deer, turkeys, squirrels, opossums, foxes, and bears all take advantage of this autumn bounty. Those who fatten up will have a better chance of surviving the winter and the lean times ahead. (More than 100 species of mammals and birds rely on acorns for food in the U.S. The oak is considered one of the most valuable wildlife trees in America.)
Black bears, Ursus americanus, feed into late fall, while food is abundant, then enter over-wintering dens by late November. For pregnant bears, good nutrition also fosters the healthy birth and survival of their cubs, who are born early in the new year in the winter den. Watch this Wildlife Research Foundation video of Lugnut, a wild Maine black bear, giving birth to her cubs on January 16, 2012. Watch Lugnut's two cubs nursing in the den in February 2012. Learn more about Maine's Black Bears.
Brown bears, Ursus arctos, at Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska are benefitting from a different autumn bounty – salmon! Learn more about the bears, the park’s annual Fat Bear Week, and how you can vote for the fattest bear. Voting begins today, October 4, and continues through October 10 at www.fatbearweek.org.
Wishing you a bountiful autumn!
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