I could bearly believe it.

So yesterday afternoon, Gavin and I were on our way to a wedding on St. George Island, which is about a two-hour trek from Tallahassee, when we saw a real life BLACK BEAR on the side of the road!

We were on US 98/319, bearing south, when we came upon the bear on the left. We saw him from a good distance back, so we were able to slow down and get a really good look. He did not appear to be full grown, but he wasn't a baby either. He was actually kind of cute, with his shiny black fur and his ears and snout and everything. As we slowed down, he saw us looking at him, which caused him to become shy all of a sudden, and he scampered away. It was really cool.

After this bearxperience, I decided to do a little internet bearsearch, and I discovered some fun facts. Bearhold:

1) Male and female black bears cannot tolerate each other's company except to breed. Interesting. These two must just be friends.

2) Cubs are raised in single-bearent families; father bears do not help with everyday bearcare. This makes sense, because as we have learned, the moms and dads cannot bear to be around each other.

3) Mother black bears are notoriously protective of their cubs, who stay with their mothers for about two years. Awww.

4) Despite their name, black bears can be blue-gray or blue-black, brown, cinnamon, or even (very rarely) white.

5) Black bears are not true hibernators. During their winter dormant period, though, they do not eat, drink, or go to the bearthroom.

6) Black bears are generally shy and secretive and usually fearful of humans. However, if they regularly find food near houses and areas of human activity, they can lose their fear of humans. Unlike grizzly bears, black bears are seldom aggressive toward humans.

I hope you all have found this beary interesting.