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Can the American black bear in Colorado sport a brown coat? – The Colorado Sun
Aug
The Colorado Sun
Telling stories that matter in a dynamic, evolving state.
Despite their name, American black bears can possess coats in varying shades of brown, including honey and cinnamon, as well as black.
Early settlers named the species based on the first bears they saw. In eastern North America, the majority of black bears have the namesake black fur, while brown coats become more frequent in the Rocky Mountains and the deserts of the Southwest. In Western states with mountain meadows and open forests, most black bears have brown or blond coats. Lighter fur reduces heat stress, helping bears spend more time in open habitats.
An estimated 17,000 to 20,000 black bears live in Colorado, favoring areas with scrub oak, aspen and chokecherry and serviceberry bushes. Black bears have been Colorado’s largest carnivore since grizzly bears went extinct in the state, with the last known Colorado grizzly killed by a hunter in the San Juan Mountains in 1979.
See full source list below.
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Black Bear, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, accessed in December 2024. Source link.
Classification of Black Bears, North American Bear Center, accessed in December 2024. Source link.
Black Bear Color Phases, North American Bear Center, accessed in December 2024. Source link.
Recapping Bear Activity in Colorado in 2021, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, accessed in December 2024. Source link.
Grizzly Bear, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, accessed in December 2024. Source link.
Checks a specific statement or set of statements asserted as fact.
Por recently graduated from CU Boulder with a master’s degree in journalism and is interested in writing about the environment and exploring local stories. When not working on some form of writing, Por is either looking for Thai food or petting a cat. More by Por Jaijongkit
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