The coat colour of a black bear is commonly black. However, it can range from blond, cinnamon or light brown to dark chocolate - and take many intermediate colour combinations. Black bears are normally shy, but they can also be curious, bold opportunists. A bear's actions are dictated by its personality, what it has learned from its mother, the experiences it has gained on its own and, of course, its own instinct. If its curiosity is rewarded by human food or garbage, a bear may become conditioned and bolder, to the point of being aggressive.
Black bears are omnivorous.
This means they eat both animal and plan matter. To satisfy their vigorous appetites, they will cover different parts of their home range at different times, depending on the availability of food. Movements will be more pronounced when natural foods are destroyed by frost or drought. In early spring, after emerging from hibernation, they eat primarily tree buds, grasses, legumes and herbs. In late spring they expand their diet to include colonial insects, and some bears prey on juvenile deer, elk, moose and caribou.