Black bears feed throughout the day and night; however, they are most active during the night and early morning hours. They are omnivorous. Plant material makes up 80% of their diet, which consists of acorns, berries, fruits, palmetto berries, grass, honey, seeds, nuts, buds, roots, tubers, the inner bark of twigs, hearts of palm, insects, grubs, lizards, snakes, frogs, fish, rodents, armadillos, bird eggs, wild hog, deer, and carrion. When they are foraging they usually destroy the tree stump or log to get at the insects inside and will totally destroy cabbage palms and palmettos in order to get at the tender hearts.
Females are able to reproduce at three years of age, and generally do so by the time they are 4 years old. Females breed in alternate years during June & July. The female’s embryos undergo delayed implantation for 5-6 months. The embryos are implanted in the uterus in mid-winter, and gestation lasts from 6-8 weeks. Twins and occasionally triplets are born in January or February. The cubs are born hairless, blind, and weighing only 6-8 ounces. At about 40 days old their eyes open, they are well furred, their first teeth appear, and they weigh about 2 pounds. Cubs do not leave the den until about two months of age, and continue to nurse from their mother throughout the summer, and fall. By the time they leave their mother, during the second year, they weigh about 100 pounds. Adult females weigh 90 to 300 pounds, and males weigh 125 to 500 pounds or more.