Black Bear

Appearance:

The Florida black bear (Ursus americanus floridanus), is a subspecies of the American black bear. The Florida Black Bear is 1 of 3 subspecies of bears recognized in the southeastern United States

The Florida black bear can be distinguished from other subspecies by genetic and skeletal differences.

Black bears originated in North America, and have been here at least 1.5 million years.

The taxonomic tree of Florida black bears.

Scientists assign all living organisms a Latin name, also called the binomial name.  Using Latin avoids confusion caused when people from different places, speaking different languages, use different names to talk about the same animal or the same name to talk about different animals.  The process of organizing organisms into groups (taxons) by shared characteristics is called "taxonomy".  These taxonomic groups work from the most general characteristics to specific traits, and reflect how creatures are related through evolution.
Hunting:
The legal bear hunting season was reduced to certain areas of the state in 1974, then further reduced until it was closed statewide in 1994. Click the link to see a timeline of including hunting regulations and other state management activities regarding the Florida Black Bear.