Their diet varies with their habitat, but typically includes berries, grasses and herbs, insects, small mammals, and carrion. It's a myth that bears eat only scavenged meat. Bears are known to sometimes kill and eat newborn or young animals such as fawns, rabbits, or birds. The black bear's most reliable source of protein and fat is ant pupae. Bears love honey.
Bears sometimes hibernate in caves, but more often they burrow into the ground and build dens.
The passage usually angles down into the ground and may turn a corner. The den is fairly snug, giving the bear about 8 to 10 inches on either side of her body when she crawls in. The bear's heart will slow from 60 to 100 beats a minute down to 20 to 40 beats or even fewer. Instead of its usual 15 to 20 breaths per minute, a hibernating bear may take one deep breath every 45 seconds. Not all American black bears are black.