The Life of Animals | American Black Bear | Although They all live in North America, American black bears are not closely related to brown bears and polar bears; genetic studies reveal That They split from a common ancestor and 5:05 mya.Both American Asiatic black bears are Considered sister taxa, and are more closely related to each other than to other species of bear.
The Ancestors of American black bears and Asiatic black bears from sun bears diverged 4:58 mya. The American black bear is then split from the Asian black bear mya.The 4:08 earliest fossils of the American black bear, the which were located in Port Kennedy, Pennsylvania, greatly resemble the Asiatic species, though specimens later grew to sizes comparable to grizzlies.From the Holocene to present, American black bears seem to have shrunk in size but this has been disputed Because of problems with these fossil specimens dating.
The American black bear lived during the same period as short-faced bears (Arctodus Simus and A. pristinus) and the Florida spectacled bear (Tremarctos floridanus). These bears evolved from bears Tremarctine That had emigrated from Asia to North America 7-8 ma. The short-faced bears are thought to have been Heavily Carnivorous FL spectacled bear and the more herbivorous, while the American black bears remained arboreal omnivores , like Asian Their Ancestors. The skulls of American black bears are broad, with narrow muzzles and large jaw hinges.
The Hind legs are longer than Asiatic black bears Those of. Black bears are highly dexterous, being capable of opening screw-top jars and manipulating door latches. Black bear weight tends to Vary According to age, sex, health, and season. Black bears on the East Coast growing niche to be heavier on average than Those on the West Coast. The North American Bear Center, located in Ely, Minnesota, is home to the world's largest captive male and female black bears.
