#Ursus americanus

[fridaybear]

'Tis Friday. Go forth and weekend! Thanks for hanging around with us. "Bear Hug" by Eric Kilby is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

[birdblues]

Black Bear

[inbarfink]

[johnnyslittleanimalblog]

Staring Contest by Doug Dance Via Flickr: The love between a mother and her cub is unmistakable. Riding Mountain National Park, Manitoba, Canada

[rustandsky]

I'll be a tidal wave when I grow up

Crashing on harbours

I'll be a temperamental element

A raging water

[raw-wild]

American Black Bear & Deer | John Axtell

[rebeccathenaturalist]

It’s Tell a Friend Friday! Please enjoy this picture of a yearling black bear (Ursus americanus) I saw at Willapa NWR (from a safe distance indoors!)

Then tell someone you know about my work–you can reblog this post, or send it to someone you think may be interested in my natural history writing, classes, and tours, as well as my upcoming book, The Everyday Naturalist: How to Identify Animals, Plants, and Fungi Wherever You Go. Here’s where I can be found online:

Website - http://www.rebeccalexa.com

Rebecca Lexa, Naturalist Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/rebeccalexanaturalist

Tumblr Profile – http://rebeccathenaturalist.tumblr.com

BlueSky Profile - https://bsky.app/profile/rebeccanaturalist.bsky.social

Twitter Profile – http://www.twitter.com/rebecca_lexa

Instagram Profile – https://www.instagram.com/rebeccathenaturalist/

LinkedIn Profile – http://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccalexanaturalist

iNaturalist Profile – https://www.inaturalist.org/people/rebeccalexa

Finally, if you like what I’m doing here, you can give me a tip at http://ko-fi.com/rebeccathenaturalist

[adehl]

american black bear color morphs

(a) spirit or kermode white; (b) blond; (c) cinnamon; (d) brown; (e) chocolate; (f) black. photo by debora ratliff (b) or from wikimedia commons (a,c–f).

[c-suvroc]

Hockey Practice, probably Hockey Practice I

First completed illustration in more than a year! Woo!!!

[elminx]

On Bear

My oldest spirit friend, or at least my oldest spirit friend who I can prove was once a living spirit, is a bear that I met at a state park in the mountains.

I found him by following my nose if you get my drift. (I was a true crime nut so I thought I was going to find a person because what else smells that bad? In the woods, the answer is a bear)

I think that it was the first or second summer that my partner and I were dating. We drove up into the mountains for the gorgeous scenic vistas and decided to stop at this fir-lined state park.

That's where we met Bear.

The vultures had barely gotten to him, and they unwillingly scattered but stood by expectantly.

I've always had a thing with death. I can't walk away from it. I must lay witness.

I don't remember what I said so long ago, but judging from what I would say now, it would have been something like this:

Hello, bear. I'm so sorry, bear. I love you, bear. I hope that the next life treats you well.

Bear was the first fresh corpse that I ever found. I grew up in a hunting community so I have seen some things, but when it's game, you don't see the maggots. You don't stare into the holes where their eyes should be. You don't get to meet the vulture clean-up crews.

I was young. An adult, but very young. Nobody had taught me how to talk to the dead. I only had one living grandparent yet we did not go to visit our dead in the cemeteries.

The smell that had drawn us to bear was almost nonexistent now that we were close. I remember feeling immense grief that this beautiful animal had left our world, but also a deep knowing that it would return to the earth to someday become a part of life again. And then, something else.

Bear was still here. Bear is slow and quiet; he doesn't like to intrude. He feels a bit like hibernation. He doesn't need you to notice him.

But he does like the attention.

Both my partner and I felt bear stir that day. It was almost as if his spirit hadn't yet arisen from his corpse but in speaking his name, I awakened him. He was slow and kind. He didn't mind that he was dead. But he appreciated that we had cared enough to stop and say goodbye to him.

My partner and I talked about Bear for months afterward. Neither of us had spoken about our spirituality prior but we both had a background in working with nature and nature spirits. Mine was more geared towards witchcraft whereas they had been trained by crazy trackers at a lodge on the AT. Without mentioning it to the other, we had both experienced bear's spirit.

We decided to go back and see him.

It was late Autumn and much colder. A couple of months had passed since we had found bear and we weren't sure if we would find any remains of him. In the mountains, there are many large scavengers.

All the tall grass had turned to seed so it was much easier to find him. We found most a skull, one side of his jaw, a large section of spine (intact and not), and some small pieces that looked like they may have been part of his paw. But, more interestingly, bear was still there!

He had been waiting for us. Just like we had been waiting for him.

That's the thing about bear. He's not loud or intrusive, but if you listen for him, he makes himself known.

Bear's body had fed the forest, but Bear had nowhere to go. I don't really understand if bear asked to come home with me, or if I asked bear if he wanted to come home with me, but in some way, we both agreed that was the thing to do.

And that's how we met bear. These days, a piece of his spine lives on my altar with the remains of my cat and the ancestors. I don't "work" with bear (he sleeps most of the time), but he is a wonderful companion for cold winter days and a reminder that it's okay to slow down when you don't have anywhere you need to be.

[fridaybear]

It's Friday! You know what to do.

"Cinnamon black bear near Mammoth Hot Springs" by YellowstoneNPS is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0.

[birdblues]

American Black Bear

[falling-hand-in-unlovable-hand]

black bear ‘sona doodles inspired by @konanyeh’s tags on the assign prev a fursona post :3

[johnnyslittleanimalblog]

Soggy and Groggy Black Bear Cub by David & Shiela Glatz Via Flickr: When it started raining, he took a nap in the crook of this tree. This Black Bear (Ursus americanus) cub woke up to find his fur matted and soggy. He also seemed surprised that a couple strange humans were watching as he groggily repositioned himself on the branches and looked for his mom.

[cryptickludovick]

Ours noir - Ursus americanus, by Rock Arsenault

[raw-wild]

Brieuc was hiking with his family in Forillon National Park in Gaspé, Canada, hoping to photograph a wild black bear, when this one fell, literally, into his path. ‘A terrified young moose suddenly leapt out of the bushes onto the track,’ he says, ‘followed by a black bear, which jumped onto its back attempting to break its neck.’ Brieuc by then was just 30 metres away and was quick enough to get a picture. A few seconds later, a car drew up, and the bear retreated, leaving the moose on the road to die from its neck injuries. (Black bears, being omnivorous, eat other mammals. Later, rangers moved the dead moose so that the bear could find it.) ‘The drama lasted about a minute. But what a memory!’ says Brieuc.

American Black Bear & Moose | Brieuc Graillot Denaix