American Black Bear

With the last three entries on this list being creatures that are in desperate need of conservation, it’s time to talk about an animal that is part of the IUCN’s least-concern species list, the American black bear, whose widespread and large population are believed to be twice that of all other bear species combined.

Similar to the bald eagle’s misnaming, not all black bears are actually black. There are actually sixteen American black bear subspecies, with some having brown or reddish-brown fur, there is actually one subspecies called a Cinnamon bear due to its fur being reminiscent of cinnamon.

These omnivores have had a long history with human beings, but unlike the fearsome legends associated with its grizzly, black bears feature prominently in the stories of some of America’s indigenous peoples. One tale telling of how the black bear was a creation of the Great Spirit, while the grizzly bear was created by the Evil Spirit.

Due to their large numbers they do occasionally leave the protection of the forest and wander into human communities looking for easily available food but hardly ever attack and are rarely considered overly dangerous. The worst recorded fatality incident occurred in May 1978, in which an American black bear killed three teenagers who were fishing in Algonquin Park in Canada.