The Making of a Diorama
The Habitat Views video considers ways of looking at dioramas today, and documents the creation of several new displays. Take a look over on our YouTube Channel >
Recreating Nature Indoors
Ever wonder who made the dioramas in our mammal halls? Read all about the artists who created these wonderful scenes. Learn more >
Mammalogy Contacts
Jim Dines
Collections Manager
(213) 763-3400
jdines@nhm.org
David Janiger
Curatorial Assistant
(213) 763-3369
djaniger@nhm.org
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American black bear
Ursus americanus (Pallas, 1780)
Scene:
Yosemite Valley, Yosemite National Park, CaliforniaBackground artist:
Duncan Alanson Spencer (1911-1999)Black bears are most active at twilight, although breeding and feeding activities may change their activity pattern seasonally. Black bears are important in ecosystems because of their effects on populations of insects and fruits. They help to disperse the seeds of the plants they eat and consume large numbers of colonial insects and moth larvae. They sometimes take small and large mammals as prey, such as rabbits and deer.
Biological Information
Range:
Northern Alaska and Canada south into central Mexico
Habitat:
Vegetated mountainous areas between 3000 and 10,000 feet
Status:
Formerly extensive, residual populations survive in sparsely populated wooded regions and where protected in national parks
Diet:
Grasses and forbs in spring, shrub and tree-borne fruits in summer and fall
Further information about this species may be found on the Animal Diversity Web page for American black bear.