BlackBears_2

54 images of Black and Cinnamon Black Bear adults and cubs in Yellowstone National Park.

Yellowstone National Park is a wildlife paradise in northwestern Wyoming.
Bears, Bison, Bighorn, Birds and numerous other creatures whose names
do not start with a “B” abound throughout the Park. Encountering a Bear is
one of the most exciting and least common experiences at Yellowstone.

Most often the bears at Yellowstone are seen at quite a distance, but
occasionally in the Elk Creek/Tower area there are closer encounters.
These are closeup images taken with a long lens (500mm to 850mm).

Click an image to open a larger version.
Use your back button to return to this page.

Black Bears: Adults and Cubs            Black and Cinnamon Adults and Cubs

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Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Animals Collection where a Gallery can be selected.

PhotoshelterGallerySection


Direct Links:

Alaskan Coastal Brown Bear (382 images)
Golden Female and Cubs        Brown Bear Fishing
Assorted Brown Bear       Brown Bear Composites

Yellowstone Bears (200 images)
Black Bear        Black Bear Cubs       Brown Bear

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BlackBear_ElkCreek_8221


Black Bear Elk Creek 8221

A female Black Bear in the autumn grass, in the Elk Creek area at Yellowstone.

North American Black Bears in Yellowstone National Park are the Olympic Black Bear and
Cinnamon Black Bear subspecies (Cinnamon adult and cub images are shown further below).
Black Bears have short, curved claws which allow them to climb trees, and are adapted for the
forested areas and nearby clearings. About half of the black bears in Yellowstone are black,
the other half are blondish-brown or cinnamon. Black bears are much more common than
Grizzly (Brown) bears, and even Cinnamon and Brown Black bears are less often seen.

BlackBear_CinnamonCub_ElkCreek_8216M


Black Bear Cinnamon Cub Elk Creek 8216 M

A Cinnamon cub trails behind its mother near Elk Creek.

BlackBear_ElkCreek_8362M


Black Bear Elk Creek 8362 M

A female Black Bear in the autumn grass near Elk Creek.

Black Bear litters can have all black cubs or a mixed set. Occasionally a litter
will show the complete color variation, with black, brown and cinnamon cubs.

All of the landscape (horizontal) large version images linked from the thumbnails are 1500 pixels wide.
Portrait (vertical) images are 1200 pixels tall (1290 pixels with title bar). Images designated with an “M”
in the shot number are 5:4 aspect ratio, 1500 x 1290 with a title bar, or 1500 x 1200 without the title bar.

BlackBear_ElkCreek_8289M


Black Bear Elk Creek 8289 M

A female Black Bear in the autumn grass near Elk Creek.

Black Bears mainly forage at twilight but they can be active at any time of the day. As Yellowstone is one
of the few areas where Black Bears and Grizzly (Brown) Bears share a habitat, Yellowstone black bears
tend to be more active during the day to avoid encountering a larger and more aggressive Grizzly bear.

BlackBear_ElkCreek_8377


Black Bear Elk Creek 8377

BlackBear_ElkCreek_8365


Black Bear Elk Creek 8365

500mm telephoto portraits of a female Black Bear in the autumn grass near Elk Creek in Yellowstone.

Black Bears are less aggressive than Grizzly (Brown) Bears, relying on their ability to climb
trees using their short curved claws to allow themselves and their cubs to escape any danger.

BlackBear_ElkCreek_8389M


Black Bear Elk Creek 8389 M

An extreme close-portrait of a female Black Bear near Elk Creek.

CinnamonCub_ElkCreek_8439


Cinnamon Cub Elk Creek 8439

BlackBear_ElkCreek_8385


Black Bear Elk Creek 8385

A rear portrait of a Cinnamon Black Bear cub and a frontal portrait of a female Black Bear near Elk Creek.

BlackBear_ElkCreek_8403


Black Bear Elk Creek 8403

A 500mm extreme close-portrait of a female Black Bear near Elk Creek.

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Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Animals Collection where a Gallery can be selected.

PhotoshelterGallerySection


Direct Links:

Alaskan Coastal Brown Bear (382 images)
Golden Female and Cubs        Brown Bear Fishing
Assorted Brown Bear       Brown Bear Composites

Yellowstone Bears (200 images)
Black Bear        Black Bear Cubs       Brown Bear

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BlackBear_CinnamonCub_ElkCreek_8295


Black Bear Cinnamon Cub Elk Creek 8295

A Cinnamon cub walks on a fallen tree near its mother.

CinnamonCub_ElkCreek_0267


Cinnamon Cub Elk Creek 0267

A Cinnamon Black Bear cub on a fallen tree near Elk Creek.

CinnamonCub_ElkCreek_0275


Cinnamon Cub Elk Creek 0275

A Cinnamon Black Bear cub in the autumn foliage near Elk Creek in Yellowstone National Park.

Black Bear cubs are born in the winter hibernation den, stay with their mother throughout their first
summer, den with her the following winter, and most often separate from her the following summer.

CinnamonCub_ElkCreek_0635


Cinnamon Cub Elk Creek 0635

A Cinnamon cub follows its mother through the autumn grass near Elk Creek.

CinnamonCub_ElkCreek_0643


Cinnamon Cub Elk Creek 0643

A Cinnamon Black Bear cub smelling flowers in the autumn grass near Elk Creek.

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Cinnamon Cub Elk Creek 0645

CinnamonCub_ElkCreek_0647


Cinnamon Cub Elk Creek 0647

A Cinnamon cub smelling and eating an autumn flower near Elk Creek in Yellowstone National Park.

Black Bears are omnivores, but their diet consists of far more plant material than Brown Bears.
Up to 85% of the black bear’s diet consists of vegetation. They dig less often than Brown Bears,
so they eat less roots, bulbs and tubers than Grizzlies and far less meat. They most often feed on
grasses and small plants, shoots and buds from trees and bushes, and berries, nuts and acorns.

Most of the animal protein in a black bear’s diet is from bees, yellow jackets, ants and their larvae,
and they are especially fond of honeycombs and honey. Adults occasionally take down deer fawns or
young elk, and sometimes prey on distressed adult deer or elk. They also will chase away a cougar,
wolverine or wolves from a carcass and steal their kill, although if a Grizzly comes by they give it up.

CinnamonCub_ElkCreek_0654


Cinnamon Cub Elk Creek 0654

CinnamonCub_ElkCreek_0655


Cinnamon Cub Elk Creek 0655

700mm close-portraits of a Cinnamon cub walking on a fallen tree near Elk Creek.

CinnamonCub_ElkCreek_0656


Cinnamon Cub Elk Creek 0656

A Cinnamon Black Bear cub walks atop a fallen tree near Elk Creek in Yellowstone National Park.

Sunburst3

Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Animals Collection where a Gallery can be selected.

PhotoshelterGallerySection


Direct Links:

Alaskan Coastal Brown Bear (382 images)
Golden Female and Cubs        Brown Bear Fishing
Assorted Brown Bear       Brown Bear Composites

Yellowstone Bears (200 images)
Black Bear        Black Bear Cubs       Brown Bear

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CinnamonCub_ElkCreek_0664


Cinnamon Cub Elk Creek 0664

CinnamonCub_ElkCreek_0670


Cinnamon Cub Elk Creek 0670

500mm telephoto portraits of a Cinnamon Black Bear cub walking on a fallen tree near Elk Creek.

CinnamonCub_ElkCreek_0672


Cinnamon Cub Elk Creek 0672

Black Bear cubs can be exceedingly cute. Probably the most famous cub was Winnipeg, an
Ontario black bear cub bought from a hunter by Lt. Harry Colebourne of the Canadian Army
and smuggled into Britain as a regimental mascot on his way to World War I. Winnipeg, or
Winnie, stayed on the Salisbury Plain as a mascot until Colebourne went to France, and
lived at the London Zoo while Harry was overseas (eventually living there permanently).
A. A. Milne took his son Christopher Robin to the London Zoo, where they met Winnie,
and Christopher was so captivated by the cub that he named his teddy bear after her.
Winnie was the inspiration for Milne’s fictional character Winnie-the-Pooh, and she
remained at the London Zoo as an honored attraction until her death at 20 (1934).

CinnamonCub_ElkCreek_0690M


Cinnamon Cub Elk Creek 0690 M

A Cinnamon Black Bear cub climbs onto a fallen tree near Elk Creek in Yellowstone National Park.

CinnamonCub_ElkCreek_8438


Cinnamon Cub Elk Creek 8438

CinnamonCub_ElkCreek_8445


Cinnamon Cub Elk Creek 8445

CinnamonCub_ElkCreek_8437M


Cinnamon Cub Elk Creek 8437 M

A Cinnamon Black Bear cub hides in its mothers shadow on a road near Elk Creek.

CinnamonCub_ElkCreek_8447M


Cinnamon Cub Elk Creek 8447 M

A 500mm telephoto close-portrait of a Cinnamon Black Bear cub near Elk Creek.

Sunburst3

Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Animals Collection where a Gallery can be selected.

PhotoshelterGallerySection


Direct Links:

Alaskan Coastal Brown Bear (382 images)
Golden Female and Cubs        Brown Bear Fishing
Assorted Brown Bear       Brown Bear Composites

Yellowstone Bears (200 images)
Black Bear        Black Bear Cubs       Brown Bear

Sunburst3
BlackBear_ElkCreek_8418M


Black Bear Elk Creek 8418 M

BlackBear_ElkCreek_8423M


Black Bear Elk Creek 8423 M

500mm telephoto portraits of a female Black Bear near Elk Creek.

BlackBear_ElkCreek_8426


Black Bear Elk Creek 8426

A female Black Bear poses for a close-portrait near Elk Creek in Yellowstone.

BlackBear_ElkCreek_8428M


Black Bear Elk Creek 8428 M

BlackBear_ElkCreek_8432M


Black Bear Elk Creek 8432 M

BlackBear_ElkCreek_8431


Black Bear Elk Creek 8431

500mm extreme close-portraits of a Black Bear near Elk Creek.

BlackBear_ElkCreek_8434M


Black Bear Elk Creek 8434 M

BlackBear_ElkCreek_8458


Black Bear Elk Creek 8458

A Black Bear in the autumn grass near Elk Creek in Yellowstone National Park.

BlackBear_TowerJunction_7869


Black Bear Tower Junction 7869

A Black Bear in the autumn grass near Tower Junction in Yellowstone National Park.

BlackBear_TowerJunction_7938


Black Bear Tower Junction 7938

A Black Bear surveys the autumn foliage near Tower Junction in northern Yellowstone.

Sunburst3

Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Animals Collection where a Gallery can be selected.

PhotoshelterGallerySection


Direct Links:

Alaskan Coastal Brown Bear (382 images)
Golden Female and Cubs        Brown Bear Fishing
Assorted Brown Bear       Brown Bear Composites

Yellowstone Bears (200 images)
Black Bear        Black Bear Cubs       Brown Bear

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BlackBear_TowerJunction_8983


Black Bear Tower Junction 8983

A Black Bear forages in the woods near Tower Junction in Yellowstone National Park.

BlackBear_TowerJunction_8984


Black Bear Tower Junction 8984

BlackBear_TowerJunction_8985


Black Bear Tower Junction 8985

A Black Bear smelling and eating berries (grouse whortleberries?) near Tower Junction.

BlackBear_TowerJunction_9000


Black Bear Tower Junction 9000

A Black Bear forages for autumn berries near Tower Junction in Yellowstone National Park.

BlackBear_TowerJunction_9002


Black Bear Tower Junction 9002

Black Bears forage voraciously in the autumn to build fat reserves to allow them to survive the long,
cold winters in Yellowstone National Park. Black Bears usually enter their dens from late October to
the middle of November, and stay in their dens for four to six months. Males emerge first, solitary
females and those with yearling cubs emerge next, and females with newborn cubs emerge last).

Black Bears are very efficient hibernators, cutting their metabolism to 40%-50%. While their body
temperature only drops by 12 degrees (allowing them to react quickly to danger), their heartbeat
drops to 20%-40% of their summer rate and respiration drops to about 15% of the normal rate.
Bears do not eat, drink, defecate or urinate during hibernation, and recycle waste products.

BlackBear_TowerJunction_9031M


Black Bear Tower Junction 9031 M

A Black Bear tastes a succulent autumn berry in the woods near Tower Junction.

BlackBear_TowerJunction_9032M


Black Bear Tower Junction 9032 M

BlackBear_TowerJunction_9077


Black Bear Tower Junction 9077

A Black Bear forages for berries in the woods near Tower Junction.

Sunburst3

Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Animals Collection where a Gallery can be selected.

PhotoshelterGallerySection


Direct Links:

Alaskan Coastal Brown Bear (382 images)
Golden Female and Cubs        Brown Bear Fishing
Assorted Brown Bear       Brown Bear Composites

Yellowstone Bears (200 images)
Black Bear        Black Bear Cubs       Brown Bear

Sunburst3
CinnamonBear_TowerJunction_8131


Cinnamon Bear Tower Junction 8131

A Cinnamon Black Bear atop a hill near Tower Junction in northern Yellowstone.

The Cinnamon Bear is a color phase of the Black Bear, and is easily distinguished
from the Brown Bear (Grizzly) due to its smaller size, the flatter profile of its head, and
the lack of the muscular shoulder hump. Cinnamon bears in Yellowstone are far more
numerous than Grizzly bears, but for some reason they are less often encountered.

CinnamonBear_TowerJunction_8141


Cinnamon Bear Tower Junction 8141

A Cinnamon Black Bear forages in the autumn foliage atop a hill near Tower Junction.

CinnamonBear_TowerJunction_8151


Cinnamon Bear Tower Junction 8151

CinnamonBear_TowerJunction_8155


Cinnamon Bear Tower Junction 8155

CinnamonBear_TowerJunction_8157


Cinnamon Bear Tower Junction 8157

A Cinnamon Black Bear tastes autumn foliage atop a hill near Tower Junction in Yellowstone.

CinnamonBear_TowerJunction_8159


Cinnamon Bear Tower Junction 8159

CinnamonBear_TowerJunction_8162


Cinnamon Bear Tower Junction 8162

CinnamonBear_TowerJunction_8165


Cinnamon Bear Tower Junction 8165

A Cinnamon Black Bear forages for autumn foliage near Tower Junction in Yellowstone National Park.

Sunburst3

Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Animals Collection where a Gallery can be selected.

PhotoshelterGallerySection


Direct Links:

Alaskan Coastal Brown Bear (382 images)
Golden Female and Cubs        Brown Bear Fishing
Assorted Brown Bear       Brown Bear Composites

Yellowstone Bears (200 images)
Black Bear        Black Bear Cubs       Brown Bear

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BlackBears_1


Click the Display Composite above to visit the Yellowstone Black Bears: Black Adults and Cubs page.

Alaskan_CoastalBrownBear


Click the Display Composite above to visit the Alaskan Coastal Brown Bears Wildlife Study.

YellowstoneNP


Click the Display Composite above to return to the Yellowstone section index page.

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