New Mexico mammals

American Black Bear in New Mexico

Ursus americanus

Native to New Mexico S4 Apparently Secure in New Mexico

Not listed as nonindigenous in New Mexico by USGS NAS; native to its New Mexico range.

IUCN Red List status

  1. LC
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

Oso negro (Ursus americanus), Parque natural provincial Tatshenshini-Alsek, Yukón, Canadá, 2017-08-25, DD 85Oso negro (Ursus americanus), Parque natural provincial Tatshenshini-Alsek, Yukón, Canadá, 2017-08-25, DD 84American Black Bear (Ursus americanus)American Black Bear (Ursus americanus)American Black Bear (Ursus americanus)
Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0Oso negro (Ursus americanus), Parque natural provincial Tatshenshini-Alsek, Yukón, Canadá, 2017-08-25, DD 85Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0Oso negro (Ursus americanus), Parque natural provincial Tatshenshini-Alsek, Yukón, Canadá, 2017-08-25, DD 84Photo: Cephas · CC BY-SA 3.0American Black Bear (Ursus americanus)Photo: River Ahlquist · CC BY 4.0American Black Bear (Ursus americanus)Photo: znot · CC BY 4.0American Black Bear (Ursus americanus)

American Black Bear in New Mexico, by the numbers

Common in New Mexico 30th most recorded of 176 mammals logged in New Mexico

1,110 occurrence records
683 with iNaturalist photos
Jul 6, 2026 Last seen in New Mexico

Records from 2000–2026.

1,110 total records count every New Mexico occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 300; the monthly chart covers the 1,100 records with a full observation date.

Field encounter

Where and when you're most likely to encounter an American Black Bear

Most active: New Mexico, in July to August.

Where
New MexicoNM
When
July to August

Observe from a distance and give it room. Never approach, corner, or feed one.

When to be most aware of the American Black Bear in New Mexico

Most sightings fall in July to August.

1,100 New Mexico occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence.

Monthly New Mexico records (table)
MonthRecords
January20
February5
March13
April34
May97
June150
July278
August202
September147
October97
November45
December12

Monthly american black bear occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in New Mexico, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in New Mexico, with recorded sightings peaking in July–August.

Occurrence map

Where American Black Bear has been recorded in New Mexico

300 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

300 New Mexico records mapped

Where american black bear encounters are recorded

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Santa Fe National Forest 30
Cibola National Forest 23
Sandia Mountain Wilderness 21
Lincoln National Forest 16
Gila Wilderness 16
State Trust Land 16
Valles Caldera National Preserve 15
Bandelier National Monument 12

Protected places with the most american black bear records, from the USGS Protected Areas Database plus named mountain ranges, where encounters are most often recorded, not a full breakdown, so they don't sum to the total. Keep your distance and never approach one.

Where it's recorded in New Mexico

CountyRecords
Bernalillo County 238
Colfax County 162
Grant County 89
Sandoval County 69
Taos County 67
Los Alamos County 65
Catron County 63
Rio Arriba County 55
Lincoln County 38
Santa Fe County 37
Otero County 33
Socorro County 28
16 other counties 166

The complete county distribution, spread across 28 New Mexico counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Subspecies in New Mexico

The black bear is New Mexico’s state animal, and cinnamon-brown coats are common even though all are American black bears (Ursus americanus).

New Mexico’s state animal turns up across five separate mountain forests: Santa Fe, Lincoln, Cibola, and Carson national forests each contribute a double-digit share of the state’s top-place sightings, with Valles Caldera National Preserve adding a smaller cluster around its high volcanic meadows. That spread across disconnected ranges, rather than one continuous belt, mirrors how black bear habitat actually breaks up across New Mexico’s mountains.

Records climb sharply from May through September and nearly vanish in December and February, a pattern that lines up with when bears are out foraging versus denned up for winter, not just when hikers are out.

Despite carrying the honor of state animal, and despite many local bears wearing a cinnamon-brown coat rather than black, NatureServe still ranks the species only apparently secure (S4) in New Mexico, one step below the most stable category.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

American Black Bear in other states

View all states →

Oso negro (Ursus americanus), Parque natural provincial Tatshenshini-Alsek, Yukón, Canadá, 2017-08-25, DD 85
Full species profile American Black Bear Ursus americanus Size 1.2–2 m3.9–6.6 ft Weight 40–250 kg88.2–551.2 lb Lifespan 10–30 yr View the full profile

More mammals in New Mexico in the atlas

Data & sources

The data and visualizations on this page draw on these open sources:

  • GBIFCC-BY 4.0occurrence records behind the range map, elevation, and record counts
  • iNaturalistCC0 / CC-BY / CC-BY-SAobservations, photos, and audio recordings
  • NatureServe ExplorerCC-BYthe state conservation rank
  • IUCN Red Listattributed factthe global conservation status
  • USGS NASpublic domainnative / introduced status
  • Natural Earthpublic domainthe relief basemap
  • USFSpublic domainnational-forest boundaries
  • USGS Protected Areas Databasepublic domainthe named parks, forests, and refuges behind "notable places to look"