Vocal and Non-Vocal Communication of American Black Bears (Ursus americanus): Implications for Conservation

To establish the best approach for conserving a species, it is necessary to understand the biology of that species. To better understand the behavior of American black bears (Ursus americanus), we observed 246 black bears for 7950 h in nature over a 24-year period to quantify how the bears communicated. Black bears communicated using several different behaviors. These included thirteen types of vocalizations, eight olfactory behaviors, eight marking behaviors, sixteen different body postures and gestures constituting their body language, and various emotional expressions. Some behaviors appeared to be automatic, including facial expression, ear movements, some forms of body language, the intensity of various vocalizations, and various moans. Other behaviors appeared to be intentional, including mechanically generated sounds and actions that could be used to bluff or deceive, such as the chomping of teeth, huffing, swatting, false charging, and various vocalizations. The conservation of black bears can be improved by establishing management strategies that take into account the vocal and non-vocal communication of the bears. Conflicts and negative encounters between humans and bears can be reduced through behavioral modifications by humans based on our new understanding of the communication system of bears. Knowledge of the communication system of the black bear provides a basis for improved conservation through the non-lethal management of bears involved in bear–human conflicts.