Standing in a small clearing, deep in the Northwoods of Minnesota, I was telling the participants in my Black Bear photo workshop some of the more interesting natural history facts about the American Black Bear. Things like how female bears are one of the few mammals to have delayed fertilized egg implantation after mating, or how these bears can lay down in the fall and rest/sleep for 6 or more months, then in spring get up and walk away without any muscle atrophy. These are just some of the things our American Black Bear (Ursus americanus) can do that we people really struggle to understand.
To read the rest of this article, pick up a copy of this week’s Messenger!