Southern Masked Bears are mysterious creatures most active during the cold, wet winter months in the Appalachian Mountains. Pioneers used to believe that if one saw a Masked Bear, it meant they were going to be killed by natural causes within the year; others kept them as pets, and even taught them to speak simple words or phrases.

Southern Masked Bears are smaller than their northern cousins, but both are most well known for the odd characteristics of their head: they have short, round faces that are hairless; deep-set, black eyes; a long, pointed, thin muzzle; and a homogenous, pale, flesh tone. Some say it looks as if the bears are wearing a human-like mask. Oddly, the bears’ back feet are also hairless, resembling those of a primate.

The southern species of Masked Bear is completely covered in white fur, except for a black, crescent shaped marking on the chest (male) or abdomen (female). The standing height of an adult is 3 -4 ft and they generally weigh around 150 lbs (with females being slightly larger); there have been a few reports of these strange bears growing to an enormous size (7 - 9 ft tall), yet the majority of the population appears to be much smaller than these behemoths.

Daily Life in the Mountains

Masked Bears hibernate in caves located in Central Appalachia, the Ridge & Valley, and the Blue Ridge Mountains. They prefer heavily wooded, secluded, and mountainous regions of these locations where year-round, edible vegetation and game can be found, as well as challenging terrain. These bears are thought to have thrived during the Ice Age, but warming climates made life for the creatures difficult; their thick, multi-layered fur became a hindrance －causing heat exhaustion, lethargy, and heat strokes. Long ago, the animal split into two different species: one traveled north (Northern Masked Bear; larger, retained thicker fur, and does not hibernate), the other stayed in the mountains it had roamed in for thousands of years (Southern Masked Bear; smaller, sheds/grows a winter coat, and developed a lifestyle of periodic dormancy).

When active, the bears eat for the majority of their day; they consume almost anything: insects, fruit, berries, herbs, fish, wild game, stray pets, leaves, tree bark, bird eggs, and sometimes other bears. Their strange, primate-like feet help them nimbly climb and grasp onto trees, allowing them to quickly, easily strip them of fruit, leaves, branches, and bark.

When agitated or enraged, Masked Bears shriek shrilly, resembling the frantic cry of a human woman. Otherwise, the creatures quietly prowl the mountainside, the only sound exuded the soft plop or squish of feet on a wintery, forest floor.

Life Cycle, Lifespan, and Reproduction

Unlike black bears in the area, the southern masked bear does not undergo torpor during the winter, but aestivation during late spring, summer, and early fall. They are only active for a short period of time, and spend most of it eating as much as possible.

Encounters between Southern Masked Bears are violent. After copulation, the mood sours, ending in a battle where the female wins a meal. Expecting bears gestate for over a year before giving birth to 5 - 7 large, well-developed young; birthing usually takes place in early or late winter, but can occasionally occur during hibernation. Cubs born during active seasons meet a cold, unforgiving fate; mothers will consume as many offspring as they can, with few successfully escaping. Following instinct, the cubs eat everything they can reach or catch; once temperatures rise, they seek out a cool, deep alcove to rest in. Those born in the warmer months awaken ravenous and will nurse their mother into starvation; if the mother has put on enough weight to sustain the cubs, they will not resort to cannibalism. A smaller female may be eaten by hungry cubs in a den, as well as cause fratricide in her offspring. It is possible for a nursing mother to survive a summer with cubs, though she will emerge from her den in a weakened state; her den may or may not still harbor cubs, which would be an easy source of sustenance for her.

Early pioneers once claimed to be able to tame these insatiable beasts by approaching them while looking them directly in the eye and singing; carrying a bucketful of garden produce and meats, they would lead them to homesteads with a line of treats.

The dangerous pets would not attack their owners or their livestock, pets, and children as long as they had food to eat. Kept in captivity, the animals would grow to enormous girths, rendering their gait wobbly and their health poor. The creatures would also not hibernate if kept indoors, though this would put them at risk of dying from heat-related illnesses; some keepers would shear the bears, using their fur for winter gear, bedding, or as a good shipped abroad.

The Masked Bears could also be trained to repeat simple words, or in rare instances, phrases for their favorite morsels of meat or fruit. This feat was considered quite taxing and time-consuming, as the bears were said to be stubborn, uncooperative animals. Some tried to saddle and ride them, which usually ended in the custom seat being eaten. Regardless of the amount of time spent with a Southern Masked Bear, there was always a risk of harm; scratching the air or ground with their large paws was an inadvertent tick of the beasts, which could cause detrimental harm to any nearby. Additionally, short omissions of food or random waves of hunger could set the animals against their owners, ending their lives in an instant. Even if caged, collared, or chained, the anger of the animal combined with their brute strength and hunger was not enough to confine them. Though the bears were great guard animals, and a novelty to behold, they were not worth the trouble; procedures for snaring and training the beasts have been forgotten.