Black Bears: A Natural History

by Dave Taylor

In 1990 author, naturalist and photographer Dave Taylor set out to research and photograph black bears in North America - a quest that took him from the high arctic to the swamps of Florida, and from the East Coast to the shores of the Pacific. Of the three species native to this part of the world - the grizzly or brown bear, the polar bear, and the black bear - Taylor devotes this beautifully embellished volume exclusively to the black bear, the most numerous of North America's three bear species. Lavishly illustrated throughout with more than 100 full-color photographs, maps and charts, Black Bears introduces the reader to this shy, reclusive and largely misunderstood animal with an encyclopedic examination of the black bear's world by state, province and territory. The diet, dens, mating habits, habitat, and hibernation are examined in Taylor's lively text, as is the bear's adaptation to the encroachment of civilization into its territory. A special section of the book dealing with bears and people, offers valuable advice on camping in bear country, and what to do when encountering bears in the wilderness.

Genres: Animals

256 pages, Paperback

First published July 28, 2006

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

If typos really bug you, do not read this book, as it is AGGRESSIVELY typo-ridden (virtually every page has 'em). I generally consider myself typo-intolerant, but this book had so many great images that I did my best to ignore the lack of copy editing.

Topics covered include diet (in glorious detail), tracks, skat, and dens -- all with explanatory images -- the very info that I have been most curious about since I began living in bear country. I also appreciated the sections on bear evolution and hunting.

The book was somewhat repetitive in parts and contained a whole section on where to find bears that would have worked better as an appendix. (Especially since there was already an appendix devoted to this topic -- so why not expand the appendix to include this other misc. detail?)

Nitpicks aside, there is lots of good info in this book. The photos alone make it worth reading. Thus, 4-stars.

[Kalista Butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love bears, especially black bears!

This was so fun to read! I purchased this book at North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre in British Columbia, which is a delightful rehabilitation facility which cares for multiple injured animals, including their permanently disabled black bear Rae.

I was really interested to read about the various behaviors of black bears, particularly the mother bear and cub relationship as well as aggressive dynamics between bears. I would have loved to hear more about other social behaviors, like the relationship between sibling cubs, which was only briefly touched on, but overall super fascinating and very extensive.

A lot of typos, but that does not really affect the overall read.

[Gail Richmond · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit dated, but a good deal of factual information.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's good, but wish it was more in-depth and longer.