Brenda Khan
Bears are omnivores with a highly varied diet. They are opportunistic eaters, consuming both plant and animal matter. Their diet depends on the season, their habitat, and the availability of food sources. In general, plant foods make up the majority of a bear's diet, with meat providing an important source of protein and fat. Bears are known to eat berries, leaves, nuts, fish, rodents, insects, larvae, and carrion. They will also scavenge for food in urban areas, such as birdseed, pet food, and garbage. During the fall, bears enter a phase of hyperphagia, where they overeat to build up fat reserves for hibernation.
What is a bear's diet like?
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Diet type | Omnivorous, with some species being carnivorous or herbivorous |
| Food sources | Plants, fruits, nuts, berries, insects, fish, small and large mammals, livestock, human garbage |
| Dietary habits | Feed mostly at night, adapt diet based on seasonal availability, eat almost nonstop before hibernation |
| Specific diets | Brown bears: berries, flowers, grasses, roots, salmon, deer, caribou, beavers, other small mammals; Polar bears: seals, reindeer, walrus, muskox, crabs, rodents, birds; Asian black bears: termites, grubs, larvae, insects, bees, mushrooms, seeds, honey, nuts, fruit, grain, fish, ungulates, wild boars, water buffaloes; American black bears: grasses, berries, roots, insects, larvae, fish, honey, carrion; Sun bears: insects; Giant pandas: bamboo; Andean bears: fruits, bromeliads, palm leaves, cacti, orchid bulbs, bark, prey animals, livestock |
| Calorie intake | Varies based on species and environment; American black bears require 5,000 calories per day in spring and summer, and up to 20,000 calories per day in the fall; Grizzly bears eat up to 30 pounds of food per day; Brown bears in Yellowstone National Park consume 51% meat in their diet, while those in Glacier National Park consume only 11% |
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What You'll Learn
What do captive bears eat?
Captive bears are fed a varied diet to help them grow and maintain a healthy weight. In general, bears are omnivores, meaning they eat a wide variety of foods. However, polar bears are an exception, as they are carnivores. Their diet in the wild is almost exclusively meat-based, consisting primarily of seals, larger mammals such as reindeer, walrus, and muskox, and smaller animals like crabs, rodents, and birds. In captivity, polar bears should be fed whole carcasses and whole fish to stimulate their natural feeding behaviours. They also require large, deep pools of non-chlorinated water, ideally with access to saltwater.
For other bear species, the diet in captivity varies from day to day and month to month as needed. Zoos often restrict bears' calories to prevent them from gaining too much weight, as captive bears do not experience periods of hibernation and starvation. Common fruits in their diet include blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and melons. They also receive vegetables such as squash, potatoes, and carrots.
As for meat, captive bears may be fed whole salmon, chicken, or rabbit, allowing them to consume the skin, heads, and organs, which are rich in nutrients. They may also receive whole cow or deer legs, as they can chew the bones, which are a good source of calcium. Captive bears should be provided with opportunities to forage and hunt, with food hidden to encourage natural behaviours.
Overall, the diet of captive bears aims to mimic their natural intake as closely as possible, providing a balanced and nutritious diet to support their health and well-being.
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What do wild bears eat?
Wild bears are omnivores, meaning they eat a wide variety of foods. Their diet depends on the species, the season, and the environment. For example, polar bears eat mostly seals, as well as larger mammals such as reindeer, walrus, and even other polar bears. They also eat smaller animals like crabs, rodents, and birds, and vegetation like kelp, berries, and roots. In contrast, giant pandas eat only bamboo, making them the only herbivorous bear species.
American black bears are true omnivores, incorporating both plant and animal matter into their meals. Their diet includes plant-based foods like grasses, berries, roots, and succulent plants, as well as insects, larvae, fish, honey, and even carrion. Black bears are highly adaptable and adjust their diet based on what is seasonally available. During the spring, they feed on protein-rich flowers, leaves, and emerging vegetation. In the summer, they indulge in soft fruits and berries, as well as ants and wasps. In the fall, they may spend up to 20 hours a day feeding, consuming up to 100 pounds of food per week to build fat reserves for hibernation. This equates to an average daily intake of 20,000 calories.
Brown bears also have a varied diet and will eat almost anything that is edible and available. They are opportunistic eaters and consume berries, flowers, grasses, herbs, and roots. They get their protein from a variety of animal sources, including beavers, deer, caribou, salmon, carcasses, and other small mammals. Brown bears in Alaska and British Columbia feed primarily on spawning salmon during the summer, consuming up to 40 salmon per day. They also eat nuts, with the whitebark pine tree being an excellent food source. Brown bears are known to raid nuts harvested by squirrels, despite the nuts being high up in the tree and out of reach. Grizzly bears, a subspecies of brown bears, may have a diet that is up to 51% meat, including large mammals such as caribou, deer, moose, and muskox. However, they will also scavenge meat from carcasses when available.
Asian black bears are also omnivorous and have a broad diet. They eat insects, grubs, larvae, bees, mushrooms, grasses, seeds, honey, nuts, fruit, and grain. They are more carnivorous than other bear species and will hunt ungulates (hoofed mammals) like wild boars and water buffaloes. They are also known to prey on livestock. When fruit is scarce, they switch to a more insect-based diet.
Andean bears, the only bear species in South America, are also omnivores, but their diet consists of only 5-7% meat. They eat a variety of fruits, bromeliads, palm leaves, cacti, orchid bulbs, and even bark. They may hunt and kill prey animals, but they seem to prefer scavenging for easier targets like plants or livestock.
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What do black bears eat?
Black bears are omnivores, meaning they eat both plants and meat. They are known for their adaptability and varied diets. Their diet can change significantly with the seasons and the availability of food sources. They are true masters of seasonal eating, adapting their diet based on what's seasonally available.
During spring, black bears emerge from hibernation hungry and needing replenishment. Their diet includes fresh vegetation like tender shoots, grasses, and young leaves, which are rich in nutrients and easy to digest. They also eat insects like ants, beetles, and larvae, which provide essential proteins and fats. In the summer, black bears eat an abundance of soft fruits and
In the fall, black bears may spend up to 20 hours a day feeding, consuming up to 100 pounds of food per week to build fat reserves for hibernation. This results in an average daily intake of 20,000 calories. During this time, they gorge on berries, nuts, and carrion. Black bears are also able to kill adult deer and other hoofed wildlife, but they mostly prey on younger animals. They are also known to kill livestock, especially sheep.
Black bears are attracted to human garbage, livestock food, pet food, and other human-associated foods like fruit trees. They have also been known to eat salmon and other fish.
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What do brown bears eat?
Brown bears are omnivores, meaning they can eat a wide variety of foods. They have strong sharp canines for ripping meat and big flat molars for chewing vegetable food. In the Kamchatka peninsula and several parts of coastal Alaska, including Kodiak Island, brown bears feed largely on spawning salmon. Sockeye salmon and pink salmon are the two most commonly preyed upon, but many other species of salmon are also eaten. Brown bears will also eat the eggs and heads of spawning salmon, which are the most nutritious parts of the fish.
In summer, brown bears eat grass, roots, fruits (mainly berries), and small animals, if they can catch them. They will also scavenge for dead animals killed by other predators. They have a fine sense of smell, so they can detect dead animals from up to 10 kilometers away. They also search under tree bark or logs for worms, insects, bugs, and ants.
Brown bears are well-known for their fishing techniques. They often congregate around waterfalls and catch fish in mid-air as they jump or use their mouths to catch fish as they swim upstream. They will also wade into shallow waters and try to pin slippery salmon with their claws. Brown bears are also capable of killing larger animals, such as deer, elk, and moose, especially if they are young.
In some areas, brown bears may feed on the caches of small burrowing mammals, such as voles, northern pocket gophers, and Siberian chipmunks. They will also feed on carrion, especially in the spring when many ungulates die due to winter conditions. In most of their range, brown bears regularly feed on ungulates, both wild and domesticated.
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What do polar bears eat?
Polar bears have evolved to prey on seals, particularly ringed and bearded seals, which they catch from a platform of sea ice. They depend on the high-fat content that seals provide, but will take other prey when available, including larger mammals such as reindeer, walrus, and muskox, smaller animals like crabs, rodents, and birds, and even other polar bears. They have been known to eat vegetation, like kelp, berries, and roots, although these make up a small amount of their overall diet. Polar bears are strong swimmers and patient hunters, using ambush tactics to hunt their prey. They can remain motionless beside a breathing hole for hours, or even days, waiting for a seal to surface. When a seal does surface, the polar bear bites onto the head or upper body, then flips the seal onto the ice.
Polar bears are also known to eat whale carcasses that wash up on the beach, and even the occasional small mammal, bird eggs, and honey. These foods are less predictable, however, and most of them do not provide enough calories to sustain the polar bear's body size or build up fat reserves. Polar bears forced on land during the summer sea ice melt snack on terrestrial foods, but these are inadequate for their long-term nutritional needs.
Polar bears in captivity are fed a varied diet to help them maintain a healthy weight. They are often fed whole salmon, chicken, or rabbit, as well as vegetables such as potatoes and carrots, and fruits like apples and grapes.
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Frequently asked questions
Bears in captivity are fed a varied diet of fruits, vegetables, and meat to help them maintain a healthy weight. Fruits may include blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries. They may also be fed whole salmon, chicken, or rabbit.
Wild bears are omnivores and will eat whatever is edible and available. Their diet includes plants, fruits, nuts, berries, insects, fish, small reptiles, amphibians, and mammals. They will also scavenge for food, eating carrion or garbage.
Polar bears primarily eat seals. They will also eat larger mammals (reindeer, walrus, muskox) and smaller animals (crabs, rodents, birds), and even other polar bears.
