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American Black Bears
美國黑熊
American black bears appear in a variety of colors despite their name. In th eastern part of their range, most of these bears have shiny black fur, but in the west they grow brown, red, or even yellow coats. To the north, the black bear is actually gray or white in color. Even in the same litter, both brown and black furred bears may be born.
美國黑熊雖然被叫做黑熊但卻有各種各樣的顏色。在它們生活區域的東部，大部分黑熊長有富有光澤的黑毛，但在西部，他們則長著棕色、紅色甚至是黃色的毛。在北部，黑熊其實長著灰色或白色的毛。就是在一胎所生的小熊中，都可能混雜棕毛和黑毛。
Black bears are the smallest of all American bears, ranging in length from five to six feet, weighing from three hundred to five hundred pounds. Their eyes and ears are small and their eyesight and hearing are not as good as their sense of smell. Like all bears, the black bear is timid, clumsy, and rarely dangerous, but if attacked, most can climb trees and cover ground at great speeds. When angry or frightened, it is a formidable enemy.
黑熊是所有美洲熊中最小的，5—6英尺長，300—500磅重。它們的眼睛和耳朵都很小，他們的視力和聽覺不如嗅覺那樣好。像所有的熊一樣，黑熊膽小，笨拙，很少具有危險性。但如果受到攻擊，大部分黑熊會以很快的速度爬上樹和奔跑。當發怒或受驚嚇時，黑熊會成為可怕的對手。
Black bears feed on leaves, herbs, roots, fruit, berries, insects, fish, and even larger animals. One of the most interesting characteristics of bears, including the black bear, is their winter sleep. Unlike squirrels, woodchucks, and many other woodland animals, bears do not actually hibernate. Although the bear does not eat during the winter months, sustaining itself from body fat, its temperature remains alomost normal, and it breathes regularly four or five times per minute.
黑熊以樹葉、草、樹根、水果、漿果、昆蟲、魚，甚至更大的動物為食。熊類，包括黑熊的最有趣的一個特點是它們的冬眠。與松鼠、旱獺和其他別的林地動物不同，熊并不真正地冬眠。雖然熊在冬天的幾個月中不吃東西，靠體內脂肪維持生命，但它們的體溫保持正常，并有規律地一分鐘呼吸4或5次。
Most black bears live alone, except during mating season. They prefer to live in caves, hollow logs, or dense thickets. A litter of one to four cubs is born in January or February after a gestation period of six to nine months, and they remain with their mother until they are fully grown or about one and a half years old. Black bears can live as long as thirty years in the wild, and even longer in game preserves set aside for them.
隨交配季節外，大多數黑熊獨自生活。它們喜歡住在洞里、空心的大木頭里或茂密的樹叢里。經過6到9個月的懷孕期后一胎1—4個小熊在1月或2月出生。它們同母熊住在一起，直到它們完全長大，即1歲半左右。黑熊在野外可以活到長達30年，在專門的保護區中甚至能活得更長。
