Animal Protein

Insects and animal matter are less than 10% of the annual black bear diet in the Ely area and across most of North America. The stocky body that gives black bears strength and minimizes heat loss over winter makes them a poor predator. The stocky, insulated body makes them overheat during chases and gives them poor turning ability. They cannot match the agility of specialized predators or potential prey. They will, however, eat a newborn fawn in the spring if they come upon one before it is old enough to evade them, which is about 11 days old.