On this page The answer More official answers Which ones Where in the US Lookalikes Official advice Sources Yes.
The black bear is the only bear species in NC; common in coastal and mountain regions, uncommon in the Piedmont.
N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission: “Common in coastal and mountain regions of the state; uncommon in the Piedmont region” Source
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On North Carolina's official list Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons Ursus americanus
Size Smokies: males average about 6 ft long, 3 ft at the shoulder and 250 lb in summer; females usually just over 100 lb. Missouri: 46 to 78 inches long, 86 to 600 lb. How to recognize it Straight facial profile, rounded erect ears, very short tail Short curved claws for climbing
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268 records by month. Full American Black Bear guide
All mammals in the state: North Carolina mammals .
Where the American black bear lives in the US Texas: on the state's official list California: on the state's official list Kentucky: on the state's official list Georgia: on the state's official list Wisconsin: on the state's official list Oregon: on an official source Missouri: on the state's official list Virginia: on the state's official list Tennessee: on the state's official list Louisiana: on an official source New York: on the state's official list Idaho: on the state's official list Florida: on an official source Montana: on the state's official list Minnesota: on the state's official list Maryland: on the state's official list Iowa: on the state's official list Ohio: on the state's official list Nebraska: on the state's official list Washington: on the state's official list South Dakota: on the state's official list Arkansas: on the state's official list Mississippi: on the state's official list Colorado: on the state's official list North Carolina: on the state's official list Utah: on the state's official list Oklahoma: on the state's official list Wyoming: on the state's official list West Virginia: on the state's official list Indiana: on the state's official list Massachusetts: on the state's official list Nevada: on the state's official list North Dakota: on the state's official list Pennsylvania: on the state's official list South Carolina: on the state's official list Maine: on the state's official list Rhode Island: on the state's official list Connecticut: on the state's official list Alaska: on the state's official list New Mexico: on an official source Alabama: on the state's official list Kansas: on the state's official list Vermont: on the state's official list New Jersey: on the state's official list New Hampshire: on the state's official list Arizona: on the state's official list Official presence. 46 states where a state list or official source names it. Gray means no official record in our data, not that it is absent.
Texas: 42 records California: 855 records Kentucky: 6 records Georgia: 22 records Wisconsin: 50 records Oregon: 91 records Missouri: 1 record Virginia: 161 records Tennessee: 241 records Louisiana: 5 records New York: 854 records Idaho: 26 records Florida: 93 records Montana: 136 records Minnesota: 65 records Maryland: 25 records Ohio: 5 records Nebraska: 1 record Washington: 177 records South Dakota: 1 record Arkansas: 6 records Mississippi: 1 record Colorado: 178 records North Carolina: 268 records Utah: 21 records Oklahoma: 1 record Wyoming: 242 records West Virginia: 22 records Massachusetts: 54 records Nevada: 16 records Pennsylvania: 105 records South Carolina: 6 records Maine: 14 records Rhode Island: 2 records Connecticut: 78 records Michigan: 26 records Alaska: 223 records New Mexico: 78 records Alabama: 3 records Vermont: 529 records New Jersey: 24 records New Hampshire: 160 records Arizona: 86 records Observation records. Open-licence records on GBIF in 43 states. Records are sightings people shared, not confirmation that a population lives there.
American Black Bear: identification, range and danger
What else it could be Photo: Annika Lindqvist · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist Grizzlies have longer front claws, humped shoulders and a more concave face. Color does not settle it: brown bears can be black to blonde.
When mammals are seen in North Carolina
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6,357 records (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY). What official sources advise Other questions about North Carolina Sources Black Bear (NCWRC species page) . N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. undated page; checked November 3, 2026. Quoted passages (2) “Common in coastal and mountain regions of the state; uncommon in the Piedmont region” “In North Carolina, den entry can occur as early as November or as late as January, though male bears in the coastal plain region may be active throughout the winter.” 2025 SWAP Appendix 3 Table 3-6 MAMMALS SGCN and Priority Species List (2025 WAP Revision Taxa Team Evaluations) . N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. 2025 NC SWAP; checked November 3, 2026. Armadillo, Nine-Banded (NCWRC species page) . N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. undated page; checked November 3, 2026. Quoted passages (1) “…reaching North Carolina in the late 2000s, primarily from natural dispersal from adjacent states.” Coyote (NCWRC species page) . N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. undated page; checked November 3, 2026. Quoted passages (1) “Abundance: Common throughout state” Eastern Cougar (NCWRC species page) . N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. undated page; checked November 3, 2026. GBIF.org occurrence records, human observations licensed CC0 1.0 or CC BY 4.0 only, accessed November 3, 2026. The datasets behind these counts are listed on our Sources page. 
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