May 23, 2015
Black Bear Sow And Cubs, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA

The Black Bear (Ursus americanus) sow and two chocolate cubs of the year or spring cubs pictured here were the first bears I saw on this visit to Yellowstone National Park. They didn't give me a good photo op that time and I didn't see them again until two days ago. I was able to get some nice images of them then, but yesterday morning I got some great images of them when they came down the treed hillside, crossed the road, and the sow drank from the seasonal pond. After she finished, they turned around and walked towards the paparazzi (above) before deciding that it would be better to head the other way for some privacy.

Black bears can range from black to white with shades of dark chocolate brown, light brown or cinnamon, and blonde in between. Almost all black bears in the eastern United States are black, but only about 50% of the black bears in the Rocky Mountains are black. Still, it's unusual for all cubs in a litter to have the same non-black coloration here in Yellowstone, so this family is quite special and I was thrilled to have such a nice opportunity with them yesterday.