---
title: "American Black Bear"
description: "Ursus americanus — Mammals. The American black bear, or simply black bear, is a species of medium-sized bear which is endemic to North America."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/american-black-bear
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# American Black Bear

> Ursus americanus — Mammals. The American black bear, or simply black bear, is a species of medium-sized bear which is endemic to North America.

- Scientific name: *Ursus americanus*
- Category: `mammals` (Mammals)
- Habitats: `forest` (Forest)
- iNaturalist observations: 95144
- Wikidata: [Q122783](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q122783)
- iNaturalist taxon: [41638](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/41638)

## Names

- en: American Black Bear
- de: Amerikanischer Schwarzbär
- es: Oso negro americano
- fr: Ours noir
- nl: Amerikaanse zwarte beer
- pt: Urso-negro
- pl: Niedźwiedź czarny

## Countries with the most observations

US (50535), CA (21055), MX (2638)

## Summary

The American black bear, or simply black bear, is a species of medium-sized bear which is endemic to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most widely distributed bear species. It is an omnivore, with a diet varying greatly depending on season and location. It primarily inhabits forested regions, but may venture beyond forest boundaries in search of food. Individuals are occasionally drawn to human settlements due to the availability of easily accessible food sources.

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_black_bear

## Photo

![American Black Bear](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/american-black-bear/medium.jpg)

Photo: TheMongrelKoi · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/78468111

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/american-black-bear?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).