what does the american black bear eat
The American Black Bear Diet. Bears are voracious eaters, as they need to be fat in order to live and stay warm during winterâs hibernation. The black bears in the Great Smoky Mountains are omnivores and eat just about anything. Seventy-five to eighty five percent of their diet is made up of vegetation. Among the black bearâs menu items are berries, mast, such as nuts and acorns, honey, fish, herbs, tubers, roots, ants, insects, berries, and plants as well as small animals such as squirrels, marmots, and chipmunks, salamanders, and fawns.