Once their initial confusion is overcome, they quickly begin developing confidence in themselves and become self-sufficient. And so the life cycle of the black bear continues.. “Black bear mothers give birth in January and stay with their cubs for 16-17 months.. “Family bonds remain strong right up to the day of family breakup. read more
With the full time babysitting job keeping the mother bear awake, nursing mothers often lose a third or more if their body weight over winter, while non-nursing bears lose only 15 to 25 percent. By the time the cubs toddle out of the den at 2 to 3 months of age, they weigh 4 to 6 pounds, depending on how much milk their mother produced and how many littermates they shared it with. read more