The range of the black bear extends from the northern tree limit of the Arctic, through most of Canada and the United States, to the mountains of northwestern Mexico. The black bear prefers forests with occasional open areas or meadows. They live in all the provinces and territories of Canada as well as in 32 American states. Size and Diet Adult black bears range from 35 to 40 inches tall when on all fours and vary in length from 4.5 to 6 feet. The weight of adult black bears varies from 125 to over 600 pounds.
Males are usually about a third larger than females.
Black bears seek food with the highest nutritional and protein value for the least amount of effort. They like to feed in the cool of the evening or in the early morning. The remaining portion of their diet includes animal carcasses, fish, small marine animals, ants and other insects, honey, elk and moose calves, and a variety of other small mammals. Black bears will eat virtually anything edible.