In west Texas in the lower desert elevations, winter and spring scats contained mostly remnant acorns and persimmons, insects, and hearts from Spanish dagger plants. In the pine-oak habitat at the higher elevations scats contained acorns, juniper and madrone berries, insects and pinyon pine nuts. Research in the lower desert elevations has shown that the Spanish dagger, sotol and yucca hearts are important food items in the black bear's diet in later winter and early spring. They depend on these plants for their main food supply until other desert plants began fruiting. During mid spring and summer the diet changes with the fruiting of plants.
Bears feed heavily on mesquite beans which are a good source of protein.
Prickly pear fruits are fed on until late summer when the Mexican persimmons began ripening. They supplement these foods with the hearts of Spanish daggers, sotol and yucca. Weight gain during the fall is considerable. Acorns are very important food items, followed by madrone and juniper berries at the higher elevations, and remnant Mexican persimmons in the desert elevations. Research on black bear diets in northern Mexico and western Texas has shown a relatively low percentage of animal matter in the diet.