American black beir

American black beir Temporal range: Late Pliocene-Early Pleistocene tae recent
At Loch Louise, Alberta
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kinrick:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Cless:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Faimily:	Ursidae
Genus:	Ursus
Species:	U. americanus
Binomial name
Ursus americanus (Pallas, 1780)
Subspecies
16, see text
Synonyms
Euarctos americanus

The American black bear (Ursus americanus) is a medium-sized beir native tae North Americae. It is the continent's smawest an maist widely distributit beir species. Black bears are omnivores wi their diets varyin greatly dependin on saison an location. Thay typically live in lairgely forestit auries, but dae leave forests in search o fuid. Sometimes thay acome attractit tae human commonties acause o the immediate availability o fuid. The American black beir is the warld's maist common beir species. It is leetit bi the IUCN as Least Concern, due tae the species' widespread distribution an a lairge global population estimatit tae be twice that o aw ither beir species combined. Alang wi the brown beir, it is ane of only twa o the aicht modren bear species nae considered globally threatened wi extinction bi the IUCN. American black beirs eften mark trees uisin their teeth an claws as a fairm o communication wi ither beis, a behavior common tae mony species o beirs.