•Black bears are 'omnivorous' - meaning, they eat both plants and animal matter.

•However, animal matter (rodents, fish, carrion, insects and insect larvae, yellow-jackets, bees, beetles, ants, termites, catepillars nesting in trees) is eaten only when preferred foods are scarce.

•Throughout their range black bears primarily consume grasses, soft mast (shrubs & tree-borne fruits), and hard mast (nuts, acorns).

•Black bear are important in ecosystems because of their effects on populations of insects and fruits (i.e., they consume large numbers of insects and moth larvae, and help to disperse the seeds of the plants they eat).

•Preferred foods: beech leaves, elm leaves, maple seedlings, the seedlings and leaves of the American white ash tree, sassafras saplings, dandelions.

•Acorn mast is a staple of the bear's fall diet (chestnut oak and red oak acorns, white oak acorns, beechnuts, hazelnuts, hickories, black walnuts).

•They are seasonally attracted to prickly blackberry patches, serviceberries, blueberries, and the black cherry.

(1) Frequently Asked Questions About Smoky Mountain Black Bears, Steve Kemp and Kent Cave (Editors), Great Smoky Mountains Association, 2010.