01/30/2026
🐻 Soda‑can small 🥤
Right now, in the Smokies, black bear moms are beginning to welcome cubs that weigh only 8–12 ounces—about the size of a soda can! These tiny, hairless, cubs stay tucked in the den until April, when they waddle out weighing about—wait for it—5 pounds! (Still smaller than your house cat 🐈).
Most litters in the Smokies have two cubs, but anywhere from 1–5 is possible. Cubs stick with mom for about 18 months, so you might spot last year’s “teenagers” tagging along with their mom too.
Remember:
It’s illegal to approach a bear within 50 yards (150 feet) or disturb them in the park. Give them space—never feed, crowd, or interfere with their natural behavior.
Learn more about black bears: https://www.nps.gov/grsm/learn/nature/black-bears.htm
NPS Photo: Ranger Ryan checks a cub’s teeth during a den visit. This visit was part of an ongoing research project. The mother bear was tranquilized so biologists could inspect her tracking collar and download data. While she was sedated, the cubs were weighed, sexed, microchipped, and kept warm in rangers’ coats until the mother was returned to the den.
