Yes, There Are Bears In Florida And Here's Where You Can Find Them

When imagining the different types of animals and wildlife that live in Florida, most people's minds immediately go to alligators and crocodiles. Fun fact – Florida is the only place in the world where you can see both crocodiles and alligators in the same location in the wild. However, what you may not know about Florida is that this tropical state is also home to a critter that we most often associate with cold winters and hibernation: bears. As strange as it may seem, the Sunshine State has a pretty sizable population of native black bears. In fact, there are an estimated 4,050 black bears in Florida, which is more than the bear population in Utah, Arizona, and South Carolina. While black bears aren't as big as their grizzly counterparts (here's how to tell the difference between the two), they are still formidable, with the largest Florida black bear ever recorded weighing in at a whopping 760 pounds.

However, unlike black bears in colder parts of the United States, Florida black bears have made some changes to their lifestyle to adapt to their tropical home. Florida bears don't fully hibernate in winter but instead go into a state, called torpor, where they become less active and spend more time resting in their dens. This means that if you want to catch sight of a black bear in Florida, winter is not the best time. On the other hand, black bears are most active in spring and summer when they are caring for young cubs and in fall when they are looking for food to fatten up before winter. So, if you are visiting Florida around that time and want to see a black bear, where should you go?

Black bears live across almost all of Florida — in fact, they are one of the creatures to beware of when adventuring in the Everglades. However, different areas of the state have different densities of black bears. If we are going off of pure numbers, to see the Florida black bear, you should head to Ocala National Forest, which is located in North Central Florida and contains around a fourth of the state's bears. But, like most bears, Florida black bears are big and dangerous and it is important to give them at least 300 feet of space at all times. Luckily, for a safer viewing, you can also try and find them in the same forest without leaving your car. As one Redditor explained, "[They are] not rare. [I] see one or more every time I drive through the woods." If you are looking for a place to start, you can always drive down the Florida Black Bear National Scenic Byway in the morning or even when the bears are most active.

Black bears are also present in all of Florida's other national forests including Big Cypress National Preserve, the Apalachicola National Forest, and Osceola National Forest. If you don't want to go driving out into the wilderness to see a Florida black bear, it is possible to view them in any season in various zoos around the state — including the Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens, the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, the Palm Beach Zoo and Conservation Society, ZooTampa at Lowry Park, and the Naples Zoo and Caribbean Gardens.