Reproduction
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A bowl-shaped ground nest made by a bear
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A mother bear nursing her cubs
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A 44-days old cub
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A bear cub climbing in a tree
As solitary animals, Formosan black bears do not stay in fixed shelters, except for females during their breeding period. The bear's courtship period is very brief. A male trails after a female for a few days. After mating, they return to their solitary lives. Females reach sexual maturity at age 3–4 and males reach sexual maturity at age 4–5, usually one year later than females. Mating is usually from June to August and pregnancy can last for 6–7 months. Thus, wild females usually give birth between December and the following February.
Each birth produces 1–3 cubs. Cubs will be nursed by mother for about six months. When they are strong enough to leave the den, bear cubs will remain with the mother for approximately two years, until the mother enters the next cycle of estrus and drives the cubs off. This forms the 2-year reproductive cycle of Formosan black bears.
Read more about this topic: Formosan Black Bear
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