Level: Q

Black
DRA: 40
Science
Strategy:

Bears
Visualize
Word Count: 1,272

5.2.7 Build Vocabulary

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN
Online Leveled Books

ISBN-13:978-0-547-02628-2
ISBN-10:0-547-02628-5

by Sarah Jane Brian

1032573
H O UG H T O N M IF F L IN
 Black Bears

by Sarah Jane Brian

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS: Cover Photodisc/Getty Images. Title page First Light/Getty Images. 2 Joel Sartore/Getty
Images. 3 © DiMaggio/Kalish/CORBIS. 4 Altrendo/Getty Images. 6 © Daniel J. Cox/CORBIS. 7 © Tony Arruza/CORBIS.
8 First Light/Getty Images. 10 Joel Sartore/Getty Images. 11 © Lowell Georgia/CORBIS. 12 Photodisc/Getty Images.
13 © Lake County Museum/CORBIS. 14 Robert Caputo/Getty Images.
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ISBN-13: 978-0-547-02628-2
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 Bear on the Prowl
The black bear felt hungry. He sniffed the
morning air. Food smells were coming from a
campsite at the edge of the forest. The bear
began to stride toward the tempting smell.
A locked cooler full of food sat on the ground.
But the bear strained for only a moment to open it.
One swipe with his massive paw, and the top
popped right off. The bear began to eat.
Suddenly, two hikers walked into their
campsite. Lunging at them, the bear also let out
a deep growl. The hikers wheeled around and
ran away.

Bears will eat berries, leaves, fish, honey, and other

things they can find in the woods.

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 Bears raid campsites for food.

But then the scared hikers stopped running

and froze. The bear stopped, too. The bear did not
want to hurt the hikers. He just wanted to scare
them away from his food. Then the bear went back
to finish his meal.
When a black bear runs towards a person and
stops short, it is called a bluff charge. That means
the bear does not want a fight. It wants to be left
alone. But people often do not know this. They are
picturing bears as a bigger danger than they really
are. The result is a dangerous situation for both
people and bears.

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 Getting close to a bear in the wild makes most
people frantic with fear. There are good reasons.
Bears can easily hurt or kill a person. But black
bear attacks are rare. In fact, most black bears are
afraid of people. When they see a person, they
usually run away.
But sometimes bears do attack people.
Usually attacks happen because people do not
know how to behave in bear country. And
frightened people sometimes kill bears. So it’s
smart to learn more about these animals.

Bears are attracted to food left at campsites.

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 Getting to Know Black Bears
Black bears are the smallest bears in North
America. They usually weigh about 150 to 500
pounds. Grizzly bears and polar bears are much
bigger. They can be as much as 1,500 pounds.
Thousands of years ago, even larger animals
lived on Earth. There were short-faced bears,
saber-toothed cats, and others. Black bears were
too small to fight these big animals.
Many of these large animals lived on the
grassy plains. So black bears stayed in the woods.
Curved claws helped them climb trees to escape
danger. Black bears learned to eat plant foods since
larger animals took most of the prey. Because of
this history, black bears are still shy today. They
would rather run away from danger than fight.

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 Black bears still live in forests. Cubs, or baby
bears, romp on the forest floor while their mother
looks for food. Cubs learn to climb trees very early.
They are safe there among the branches.
Black bears can be found from Canada
to northern Mexico. They live in dozens of
northern states.
On the East Coast, most black bears are
actually black. Farther west, some black bears
are brown, cinnamon colored, white, or even
bluish gray.

Black bears with

white fur are
sometimes called
spirit bears.

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 Beekeepers use wire fences to keep bears away.

Black bears have a good sense of smell. This

helps them find food in the forest. Some favorites
are nuts, berries, roots, and grasses.
Another common food for black bears is insects.
Bears often break open rotten logs to find the tasty
grubs inside. When bears raid a beehive, they gobble
down the honey. But bears also eat the bees.
When they can get it, black bears eat meat and
fish. Black bears will eat almost anything.

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 In the fall, bears will walk for miles to find as
much food as possible. At this time of year, a bear
may eat 20,000 calories every day. That’s about as
much as 42 hamburgers!
All that food turns into a thick layer of fat.
During the winter, the bear lives off the fat. The
bear crawls into a den to sleep. In very cold places,
the bear may stay in its den without eating or
drinking for seven months.

Most of a black bear’s food comes from plants.

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 Bears and People
Bears eat all kinds of food. Unfortunately,
that includes the foods people eat. When bears
get used to getting food from people, it means
big trouble for the bears.
People have hunted and killed bears for
hundreds of years. Sometimes farmers kill bears
that eat crops or kill farm animals. Other times,
people hunt bears for sport or simply out of fear.
Years ago, black bears were completely wiped
out in many places.
Today, more and more people have moved
into bear country. People have built houses in
the woods. Campers have shouldered backpacks
full of food and hiked into the wilderness. Bears
quickly sniff out people’s garbage, pet food, and
even birdfeeders. Once a bear sees people as a
food source, it will return again and again.

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 Bears search people’s rubbish for food.

Bears that get food from people often lose their

natural fear of humans. Instead of bounding away,
they come looking for a meal. That is when a black
bear becomes dangerous. It may break into cars,
homes, or tents looking for food. Some bears start
attacking people. Checking a bear’s violent
behavior once it starts is very hard.
Bears that attack people are often shot and
killed. Bears that spend time near people also walk
across roads. Cars occasionally hit them.

10

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 It’s good to know what to do if you find
yourself in bear country. How can you help keep
black bears safe? How can you keep yourself safe?
Here are some tips.
• Leave them alone.
• Don’t give them food.
• Keep food and garbage in
bear-proof containers.
• Travel in groups.
• Make noise to scare bears away.

Today, park rangers teach families about bears

before the families go camping in the woods.
11
 The Real Teddy Bear
President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt
loved the woods. He often went hunting. One
day, Roosevelt saw a young black bear. Because
the bear was so small, he refused to shoot it.
Newspapers everywhere reported the story.
Soon, a new toy was created. It was a little
stuffed bear. It was named after the popular
President. People loved the teddy bear and
began to learn about real bears.

12

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 Visitors go to Yellowstone National Park to see the bears.

Don’t Feed the Bears

For many years, visitors to Yellowstone National
Park loved to feed the black bears that lived there.
Feeding the bears made a fun picture. Bears ate
candy bars, chips, or whatever people fed them.
But many people were hurt. Bears often bit or
scratched. Some bears became violent “problem
bears.” Hundreds of bears were either shipped to
zoos or killed. Today, park bears are left alone to
find their own natural foods.

13

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 Good News
The good news is that today black bears are
doing well. Scientists say that there are 700,000
or more black bears. Bear numbers are growing
in many places.
But people’s numbers are growing, too. We
must protect land for black bears and learn how
to live peacefully with them. These important
animals need our help to stay safe.

Black bears need lots of forestland to survive.

14

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 Responding
TARGET VOCABULARY Word Builder What
other words could you use to describe a bear
bounding through the woods? Copy the word
web and add more words.

? running

bounding

lunging ?

Write About It
Text to Text What makes a bear run away? Write
about another animal that you have read about
that might run away for the same reason. Tell what
happened. Use words from the web in your writing.

15

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 TARGET VOCABULARY

bounding romp
checking shouldered
frantic strained
lunging stride
picturing wheeled

TARGET STRATEGY Visualize Use text details to form

pictures in your mind of what you are reading.

Drop the -ing and it’s what a waiter gives you

at the end of your meal.

16

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Level: Q

Black
DRA: 40
Science
Strategy:

Bears
Visualize
Word Count: 1,272

5.2.7 Build Vocabulary

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN
Online Leveled Books

ISBN-13:978-0-547-02628-2
ISBN-10:0-547-02628-5

by Sarah Jane Brian

1032573
H O UG H T O N M IF F L IN