Black bears can communicate their moods through posturing, marking with odors or other sign, and vocalization. Unlike dogs that can display teeth or curl a lip, a bear’s ability to communicate with facial expressions is poor. The most significant and productive act of communicating for a bear is through its body posture. Bears are often seen in movies and television standing on their two hind legs, growling and looking quite ferocious. In real life however, black bears stand bipedal when they are trying to get a better look or smell at something that has peaked their curiosity, and growling is rarely a sound that you will hear from a black bear. When bears assess other bears, staring and slapping the ground are aggressive and a serious threat, while lowering of the head is submissive. A bear may bluff or false charge, running at something but stopping short and avoiding contact. Black bears also mark objects, specifically trees, as a sign of communicating. Bears will rub trees with their shoulder, neck, and rump. They claw trees, roll on the ground at the base of trees, and bite trees. The scientific purpose of marking is not completely understood, although there are a number of theories.

Although bears are generally silent animals, they do have several vocalizations, each with a specific meaning.

• Huffing: a single rapid, highly audible exhalation of air through the open lips, produced by both cubs and adults.
• In-Out Huffing: rapid inhalation and exhalation similar to single huffing repeated rapidly.
• Bawling: a long hoarse wailing sound produced by cubs.
• Grunting: a soft “clungk, clungk” made deep in the throat with the mouth closed. Produced by mothers in the presence of cubs.
• Jaw-Popping: a rapid snapping of the jaws and popping of the lips, produced by all bears.
• Tooth –Clicking: the jaws are snapped together two or three times, more softly than jaw-popping. This is another sound produced by mothers with cubs.
• Moaning: a falling note from deep in the throat, much like a human moans, and produced by all bears.

Grunting and tooth clicking seem to be the sounds with the most specific intentions and are almost exclusively used by mother bears with cubs. Grunting seems to mean, “come here” and tooth-clicking is usually followed by the cubs climbing trees. Bawling is done by cubs separated from their mothers. Huffing and jaw-popping are agonistic vocalizations and often precede or follow false or bluff charges. This behavior is usually used by animals on the defensive and is used as an alternative to physical contact. In-out huffing is commonly used by bears climbing trees to escape a nearby threat and is a “last ditch” response while fleeing. Bears that are kept treed for long periods often moan, it may imply resignation or defeat.