American Black Bear Cub at Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge
Black bears (Ursus americanus) typically begin emerging from their dens in Massachusetts during the month of March. There have been a handful of sightings (either from trail cameras or scat) of black bears on the refuge, though none recently. Research from our friends at Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife has revealed that most black bears located east of 495 in Massachusetts are wandering male bears or dispersing young bears in search of a territory of their own.
Credit: Tina Shaw/USFWS. Original public domain image from Flickr