Wildlife officials say extra large black bears are becoming more and more common in West Virginia. Recently, a 7-foot, 400-pounder was hit and killed along Interstate 64 near Lewisburg.

Officials plan to donate meat from the animal to a spring bear dinner held in Williamsburg. There are also plans to mount the bear or make a rug out of it for display at The Greenbrier.

As scary as that bear may have been, Chris Ryan, black bear project leader with the state Division of Natural Resources, says there are even bigger ones roaming the state.

The largest one known to him was a 575-pounder discovered in the Boone County community of Comfort in May 2003. Wildlife officials placed a radio collar on the bear and tracked it before a bow hunter killed it later that year. Ryan says it was among the top five largest bears ever killed in North America.

Ryan says as winters become increasingly mild, food sources are more predictable for bears, which contributes to their weight.