Black Bear twins
I posted some Grizzly Bear twin cubs recently so here are some Black Bear twins too. Black Bears are by far the most widespread of the North American Bears. Their mother was feeding on the shoreline nearby but the cubs seemed really nervous of being outside the safety of the forest. They spent more time hiding in the forest than they did accompanying mum on the shoreline. They were heading for cover again when I took this but I liked the way you can see the footpads on the right bear. American Black Bears mate in June and July but the fertilised egg does not implant in the womb until November. Gestation is 235 days from mating, so the cubs are born in late January or early February. So these cubs would be about 7 months old when I took this in mid September. The cubs become independent from their mother after 16-18 months (in their second year). By that age they can be similar in size to their mother. Females usually have their first litter between the ages of three and five years old, and typically have two or three cubs, though up to six has been known.
Black Bear twins
I posted some Grizzly Bear twin cubs recently so here are some Black Bear twins too. Black Bears are by far the most widespread of the North American Bears. Their mother was feeding on the shoreline nearby but the cubs seemed really nervous of being outside the safety of the forest. They spent more time hiding in the forest than they did accompanying mum on the shoreline. They were heading for cover again when I took this but I liked the way you can see the footpads on the right bear. American Black Bears mate in June and July but the fertilised egg does not implant in the womb until November. Gestation is 235 days from mating, so the cubs are born in late January or early February. So these cubs would be about 7 months old when I took this in mid September. The cubs become independent from their mother after 16-18 months (in their second year). By that age they can be similar in size to their mother. Females usually have their first litter between the ages of three and five years old, and typically have two or three cubs, though up to six has been known.