We all love to think of the black bears as cute and cuddly.. Like yogi the bear or Winnie the pooh right? Well they might look cute but we really do not recommend hugging them. Just like people, they need their personal space. They just happen to need a lot more! To help you get to know these majestic creatures a little better, here are a few facts that you would otherwise only know from a little chat from the bears themselves!

The bears do not all look the same! “Black Bears” can actually vary in color from black, to light and dark brown, and to an almost cinnamon color. The can reach up to around 6 feet in length and from the ground to their shoulder they can be somewhere around 3 feet. The female bears are generally smaller. When a bear is born it will usually weigh around 7-12 ounces, once it reaches adulthood it will weigh 200-400 pounds or more! The bears generally live between 8-12 years. However, bears that are considered troublesome live only half as long. There are some bears such as the ones in Gatlinburg TN that have lived to be 20 years old or more!

The bears used to inhabit most of North America. Due to obvious problems, such as humans and loss of habitat the bears are now confined to wooded areas and dense brush land.

Most bear-ly Activity happens in the spring and summer usually during the early morning or late evening. The mating season for the bears is summer and during that time they may have more than one mate. With the onset of winter the bears will begin choosing a denning site. These are usually a hollow logs, caves or where ever there is adequate shelter. The bears do not really hibernate, they merely enter a stage of elongated deep sleep. If a bear is disturbed or if there is a stage of warmth the bears may come out of that sleep and leave the den for a short period of time. During the winter sleep the mother may give birth to anywhere from one to five cubs. The mother and her cubs will leave the den in the early spring. These cubs will stay with the mother fro somewhere around 18 months or until she mates again.

These mother bears are extremely protective of their young. When the mother bear feels that the cubs are in harm she will warn with growls, snorts, blows, and the snapping of jaws.

I hope that this helps you understand bears better. You now understand a few of the characteristics that they portray. Now, you will be protected, yet still in awe of these magnificent creatures.

Lasty, when renting one of your Gatlinburg cabins, please place all food in trash cans. Also, please never purposely leave trash outside to attract the bears. They are to unprodictable and dangerous.

Remember, most of all, enjoy your stay in Gatlinburg TN.