In the autumn they eat late ripening berries, fruits and nuts. During late autumn, early winter, they try to put on as much weight as possible, because the availability of food during wintertime decreases. Male and female black bears lead solitary lives, coming together only to mate. They tend to be active at different times of the day depending on where they live, and the seasons. During the spring, they are most active at dawn and dusk, in the summer they are most active during the daytime, and in the fall they are active equally throughout the day.
Bears communicate with each other using scent, sound, and sight.
American black bears tend to be the most vocal of the bear species, due to the fact that they spend so much time in the forest. And like other carnivores they mark their territories by rubbing on objects such as trees, and urinating on raised objects. Urinating to mark territory, however, is rarely seen outside of mating season. Also, claw marks on trees help to enforce the scent left. American black bears are adept tree climbers, due to their smaller size.