At one time Florida and parts of southern Georgia and Alabama had more than 12,000 black bears. Florida's bears were found in every part of the state, including the Florida Keys. A unique subspecies, Ursus americanus floridanus is considered threatened with extinction by the state of Florida. Maintaining healthy bear populations is an important way to conserve the diversity of Florida's native species. Protecting the habitat of the wide-ranging black bear benefits many other species that depend on the same habitat type, such as the threatened scrub jay and the eastern indigo snake.
Scientists also consider the bear to be an indicator species.
In other words, the health of the bear populations can be used as a measurement of the well-being of other species present in the same ecosystem. Florida's bears prefer certain forest habitats such as sand-pine scrub, oak scrub, upland hardwood forests and a variety of forested wetlands, especially riverine swamps. Florida's black bears are omnivores and eat a wide variety of foods including berries, acorns, the tender parts of saw palmettos, and the hearts of the sabal palm. They also eat insects like carpenter ants, termites and walking sticks, as well as armadillos, wild pigs, and deer. Isolated bear populations need a minimum of 500,000 to 1 million acres to ensure their long term survival.