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As hibernation is a seasonal response, the movement of the ancestor of birds and mammals onto land introduced them to seasonal pressures that would eventually become hibernation. [45] This is true for all clades of animals that undergo winter dormancy; the more prominent the seasons are, the longer the dormant period tends to be on average.
To prepare for hibernation, bears step up their eating, putting on up to 3 pounds a day in the fall and sometimes into winter. That can mean foraging for a meal for up to 20 hours a day, and they ...
Grizzly bears also do not defecate or urinate throughout the entire hibernation period. The male grizzly bear's hibernation ends in early to mid-March, while females emerge in April or early May. [53] In preparation for winter, bears can gain approximately 180 kg (400 lb), during a period of hyperphagia, before going into hibernation. [54]
Bears normally stock up on food then hibernate in their dens during the coldest winter months. Bear hibernation is “strongly tied” to weather patterns and food availability, according to a ...
For many bears, winter means hibernate or die. Here's what they do to survive. Plus: how climate change puts newborn cubs in danger.
Bears of northern regions, including the American black bear and the grizzly bear, hibernate in the winter. [110] [111] During hibernation, the bear's metabolism slows down, its body temperature decreases slightly, and its heart rate slows from a normal value of 55 to just 9 beats per minute. [112] Bears normally do not wake during their ...
A “Bear-y” Cozy Winter - Learn about bear hibernation in this month’s Nature Center Notes
During winter, American black bears consume 25–40% of their body weight. [91] The footpads peel off while they sleep, making room for new tissue. Many of the physiological changes an American black bear exhibits during hibernation are retained slightly post-hibernation. Upon exiting hibernation, bears retain a reduced heart rate and basal ...