Usually when a black bear attacks it’s attacking you as prey. For instance, they are more likely than black bears to defend themselves when threatened. Contrary to popular belief, black bears are more dangerous than brown bears. When certain foods are out of season or not abundant that year, bears will switch to one of the other food sources available. Here’s a breakdown of what Florida black bear diets have consisted of. — Florida Black Bear Diet— Florida black bears are extremely adaptable. American black bears are reproductively compatible with several other bear species and have occasionally produced hybrid offspring. While uncommon, there have been incidents of humans being harmed by Florida black bears. In 1859, an American black bear and a Eurasian brown bear … A little less than three years ago, Florida’s native black bears were listed as an “imperiled species”, as their numbers in the wild recovered slowly from a low of only several hundred towards the end of the 20th century. A black bear's first line of defence is retreat, but grizzlies, especially sows with cubs, can be very aggressive towards other bears and people they perceive as threats. That’s why you’re supposed to play dead with a brown bear but fight back with a black bear. Thus, Florida black bears are true omnivores. Adult male black bears weigh on average about 250 pounds, though they range between 125 and 600 pounds, according to the American Bear Association. Florida black bears are also generally shy and non-aggressive. According to Jack Hanna's Monkeys on the Interstate, a bear captured in Sanford, Florida, was thought to have been the offspring of an escaped female Asian black bear and a male American black bear. In this lesson, students will observe and describe similarities and differences in the anatomy of the Florida black bear and the Florida panther. Now, in a move environmental groups have branded a “painful new development”, the state’s wildlife leaders […] Did you know… 3,778 permits were sold to hunt only 320 Florida black bears in 2015, more permits than bears in the state of Florida. There is no science to support the supposition that hunting decreases human-bear conflicts or that bears that habituate to humans are more likely to be aggressive. Their diet consists of a diverse collection of plants and animals. Florida black bears, Ursus americanus floridanus, currently inhabit 45% of their historic range but bear sightings are on the rise.Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) estimates there is currently a robust bear population with at least 4,050 bears living in Florida as of 2016.