Black Bear

California is home to about 25,000-30,000 black bears, making it one of the largest black bear populations in the United States. These amazing animals are excellent climbers and swimmers, and they're much smarter than you might think - they can open car doors, unscrew jar lids, and even remember where they found food years later! Black bears are omnivores, which means they eat both plants and animals, but most of their diet is actually berries, nuts, grasses, and roots. A mother bear usually has 2-3 cubs that stay with her for about two years while she teaches them how to find food and stay safe. California black bears can run up to 35 miles per hour and are surprisingly good at climbing trees, even as adults weighing up to 500 pounds! The bear on California's state flag represents the California grizzly bear, which sadly went extinct in the 1920s, but black bears continue to thrive in the state's wilderness areas.