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The black bear is New York's second largest land mammal; only the moose is larger. An average adult male weighs about 300 pounds while females average about 170 pounds. The largest bear reported from New York weighed approximately 750 pounds. Black bears are omnivorous, eating grasses, berries, fruit, nuts, seeds, insects, grubs, and carrion, as well as human sources of food like corn, honey, bird seed, trash, and pet food when available.

Although the color of black bears actually varies widely in other parts of North America, over 99.9% of the black bears in New York are jet black in color with a brown muzzle.

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