Each month, we get to know one of the state’s many wonderful and quirky critters. Latin name: Ursus americanusSize: 125 to 500 pounds (adult males)Texas habitat: West and southwestCelebrating the end of our hike up the South Rim Trail, in Big Bend National Park, my friends and I tucked into steaming bowls of jambalaya before making camp. Dinner smelled wonderful—and we weren’t the only ones who thought so. A black bear popped its head up over the canyon rim, about forty feet away, sniffing with its velvety snout while ambling toward us. I felt both awe and terror before our uninvited guest lumbered off. Encounters like mine are increasing in West Texas, where black bears are making a comeback. How many live here?Likely “north of a hundred,”…
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