#WildlifeWednesday Black bears are thriving in eastern North Carolina, especially in the coastal plain where swamps, pocosins, and hardwood forests provide plenty of food and shelter. The Albemarle–Pamlico Peninsula holds one of the highest densities of black bears in the world, and the bears in this region are also some of the largest, with adults sometimes weighing more than 500 pounds. Mild winters and access to agricultural crops like corn and peanuts help them reach these impressive sizes.